World

North Korea’s capital compelled for a 5-day lockdown

On Wednesday, authorities in the North Korean capital Pyongyang ordered a five-day lockdown due to rising cases of an unspecified respiratory illness, citing a government notice.

When the entire world was in the grip of Corona virus, North Korea was one country that continued to claim that it reported no Corona virus cases for the longest time. But the Kim Jong Un-led country has now placed its capital Pyongyang in a five-day lockdown.

The Korean peninsula is currently in the grip of what weather forecasters have described as a Siberian cold snap, with temperatures in Pyongyang dropping as low as -22 degrees Celsius.

According to sources, the notice did not mention COVID-19, but said that residents in the city are required to stay in their homes through the end of Sunday and must submit to temperature checks multiple times each day.

COVID-19 in North Korea

North Korea acknowledged its first COVID-19 outbreak last year, but by August had declared victory over the virus.

The secretive country never confirmed how many people caught COVID, apparently because it lacks the means to conduct widespread testing. Instead, it reported daily numbers of patients with fever, a tally that rose to some 4.77 million, out of a population of about 25 million. But it has not reported such cases since July 29.

Experts suggested that North Korea’s largest city is likely dealing with the re-emergence of Covid.

“Covid is disappearing and reappearing depending on the temperature, not just in North Korea but around the world,” said Go Myong-hyun, a researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

North Korea has one of the world’s worst healthcare systems, with poorly equipped hospitals, few intensive care units, and no Covid treatment drugs, experts say.

It is not believed to have vaccinated any of its 25 million people, although reports indicate it may have received some vaccines from China.

State media have continued to report on anti-pandemic measures to battle respiratory diseases, including the flu, but had yet to report on the lockdown order.

Also read: Adani Group calls Hindenburg Research report “baseless, malicious combination of misinformation, and stale”

Spriha Rai

Recent Posts

Renowned Folk Singer Sharda Sinha Passes Away At 72; PM Modi Expresses Condolences

PM Modi expressed sorrow over Sinha’s death. "The passing of Sharda Sinha ji is deeply…

2 hours ago

US Election: India Confident Of Strong US Relations And Quad Continuity, Says Jaishankar

Jaishankar noted that the US-India relationship has flourished under both Democratic and Republican leadership, including…

3 hours ago

Sanskriti Diwas Marks 98th Birth Anniversary Of Kashiraj Dr Vibhuti Narayan Singh

Program coordinator Chakravarti Vijay Navad announced that 11 prominent individuals received the Kashiraj Dr. Vibhuti…

4 hours ago

Mallikarjun Kharge Slams ‘Batenge Toh Katenge’ Slogan During Jharkhand Campaign

Kharge emphasized that the BJP leaders promote divisive rhetoric as part of their agenda. He…

5 hours ago

Police Arrest Two In Fake Marriage Certificate Racket In Name Of Arya Samaj

DCP Nagar Abhishek Bharti revealed that five couples, including Shivani and Shrikant Yadav, recently filed…

6 hours ago

India And Nigeria Strengthen Counter-Terrorism Cooperation In Second Strategic Dialogue

Doval and Ribadu held detailed talks on challenges linked to terrorism and radicalization, including those…

6 hours ago