NORTH KOREA: A five-day lockdown is initiated by North Korea in Pyongyang, due to “respiratory illness,” making its first restriction in the city following the Capital’s triumph against Covid-19 in August 2022.
This unspecified respiratory illness, including the common cold, is currently spreading in the Capital.
North Korea initiates lockdown
North Korean residents have been instructed to stay in their houses from Wednesday to Sunday and to submit temperature checks many times each day, according to a government notice, as reported.
The government orders reveal soon after specifying that Pyongyang, the country’s largest city stocking up on goods in light of a probable imminent lockdown. It is, however, uncertain if other areas have declared a similar lockdown, as state media have not announced new reports.
North Korea’s incapacity to report widespread testing had not shown transparency in Covid numbers even though daily reports had shown that 4.77 million out of a population of about 25 million had been affected by the virus till 29th July.
World Health Organization which has been dubious about Pyongyang’s Covid statistics, has commended the Capital city for having brought the cases under control.
North Korea, with its poor state of medical infrastructure and healthcare system comprising only a few intensive care units and equipment, has struggled to battle this virus since its inception.
North Korea has not even vaccinated a single person out of the 25 million population, though they might have received some vaccines from China.
The Siberian cold snap has created a wide dip in temperatures dropping as low as -22 Celsius in the Korean Peninsula, which might have adversely affected the health of its people.
North Korea, with its strict restrictions, nonetheless has continued to conduct trade with China and very recently uplifted its zero-Covid policy creating utter pandemonium in hospitals and medical sectors with an escalation in Covid cases.
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