A North Korean state broadcaster called Sunday for thorough quarantine efforts, pointing to the "very unstable" situation marked by the spread of COVID-19, seasonal flu and other contagious illnesses.

The North's official Korean Central Television said the country's entire society should continue to maintain the antivirus campaign by blocking all virus transmission routes, including border and coastal areas, until the world's public health crisis ends.

"Even into the new year, there are still no signs of the malignant contagious disease situation being resolved," it said. "As it has rather worsened due to the emergence and spread of variants with stronger immune evasion capabilities, the quarantine situation is very unstable."

The broadcaster cited the concurrent spread of COVID-19, influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus.

In August last year, the North declared victory against the COVID-19 crisis. But it has continued to stress the need for strong quarantine efforts as it remains wary of a possible flare-up in virus cases. (Yonhap)