According to a report that was published on Wednesday by NK News out of Seoul, which cited a notice issued by the government, the authorities in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang have issued a lockdown that will last for the next five days because of an increase in cases of an unknown respiratory illness.
According to NK News, which monitors North Korea, the warning did not reference COVID-19. However, it did state that inhabitants of the city are expected to remain in their houses until the end of Sunday and must submit to temperature checks many times each day.
The website stated on Tuesday that people in Pyongyang seemed to be stocking up on products in anticipation of more stringent regulations. It is unknown if other parts of the nation have implemented fresh lockdowns at this time.
The previous year was when North Korea reported its first COVID-19 breakout, but by August of that year, they had proclaimed triumph over the virus.
The mysterious nation has never disclosed the number of persons who were diagnosed with COVID, and it seems that this is because it does not have the resources necessary to carry out broad testing.
Instead, it recorded daily numbers of patients who were experiencing fever, a figure that eventually reached around 4.77 million, out of a total population of approximately 25 million. However, it has not documented any occurrences of this kind since the 29th of July.
Although state media have continued to report on anti-pandemic measures being taken to combat respiratory infections like the flu, they have not yet reported on the order to lock down all public buildings.
The North Korean state news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday that the city of Kaesong, which is located close to the border with South Korea, had increased the number of public communication campaigns “so that all the working people observe anti-epidemic regulations voluntarily in their work and life.”