North Korea is urging its citizens to put a mask back on as the regime keeps its eyes on a potential simultaneous spread of COVID-19 and influenza later this year. 

The state’s official Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said on Tuesday that widening temperature differences between daytime lows and highs are producing conditions conducive to viral respiratory diseases. 

Citing the World Health Organization’s warning of possible complications from a coinfection of COVID-19 and the flu, the state agency cited health experts' recommendation to "wear masks for their own health from October", while keeping an eye on the flu threat in the region. 

The North had lifted a masking mandate and social distancing rules in most regions on August 10 when it declared an end to COVID-19 in the nation.