Report: Lockdown on Pyongyang due to ‘respiratory diseases’

According to a report, North Korea has ordered a five-day lockdown for the capital Pyongyang because of “respiratory diseases”. As the South Korean news website “NK News” reported, citing a government announcement, residents of the North Korean capital were instructed to stay at home up to and including Sunday. According to experts, the current cold wave in North Korea could lead to a significant increase in corona infections. Temperatures in Pyongyang fell below minus 22 degrees at times.

According to the report, the official statement instructed people in Pyongyang to measure their body temperature several times a day. According to “NK News”, the official notification did not mention the corona virus, instead it spoke of common colds. It was only on Tuesday that “NK News”, citing sources in Pyongyang, reported that the people in North Korea’s capital were apparently stocking up on goods in anticipation of a lockdown.

Population not vaccinated against Corona

It is not known whether a lockdown was also imposed on other cities in the internationally isolated country. North Korea’s state media did not announce any new measures.

The communist-governed state has been sealing off its borders since the beginning of 2020 to protect itself from the corona virus. Last April, the country confirmed the first corona outbreak. Just three months later, North Korea declared the virus defeated. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other experts strongly question the North Korean corona statistics and the information on containing the pandemic. According to experts, the country has one of the worst health systems in the world. Experts believe the country’s 25 million people have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus, although North Korea has reportedly received some doses of the virus.

sti/nob (afp, dpa, rtr)