Pyongyang Locks down due to ‘Respiratory illness’ outbreak

Pyongyang (AFP) -Since North Korea declared victory over Covid-19 in August 2022, North Korea has ordered a five-day lockdown of its capital citing “respiratory conditions,” it was reported Wednesday.

Residents of Pyongyang have been ordered to stay indoors from Wednesday to Sunday and have to undergo multiple temperature checks daily, Seoul-based agency NK News reported, citing a government statement.

Covid was not mentioned in the notice, but the common cold is among the diseases currently spreading in the capital, the report said.

The government’s order came a day after NK News reported, citing sources in Pyongyang, that people in the city appeared to be hoarding goods in anticipation of the lockdown.

It is unclear whether other regions have imposed similar lockdowns, and state media have not announced any new measures. Experts suggest North Korea’s largest city is likely to suffer a Covid resurgence.

“The new coronavirus disappears and reappears not only in North Korea but around the world, depending on the temperature,” said Ko Myung-hyun, a researcher at the Asan Policy Research Institute.

The Korean peninsula is currently experiencing what weather forecasters describe as a Siberian cold snap, with temperatures in Pyongyang dropping to -22 degrees Celsius (-7.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

“It was premature for North Korea to celebrate its victory over the virus… the drop in temperatures has allowed the virus to resurface,” Goh told AFP. “North Korea must have been somewhat prepared for this, but the virus appears to have resurfaced a little sooner than they thought.”

China, North Korea’s neighbor and major trading partner, recently abandoned its zero-coronavirus policy to battle a wave of infections overwhelming hospitals and crematoriums.

North Korea has maintained a strict lockdown since the pandemic began, but has allowed some trade with China.

Last May, North Korea officially acknowledged its first outbreak of Covid, but declared victory over the virus just three months later, calling it a “miracle.”

Experts, including the World Health Organization, have long questioned Pyongyang’s Covid statistics, claiming it brought the outbreak under control.

Experts say North Korea’s healthcare system is one of the worst in the world, with ill-equipped hospitals, few intensive care units and no drugs to treat Covid. Some vaccines may have been received from China, according to reports, but are not believed to have vaccinated the 25 million inhabitants.