There Is A Respiratory Disease, North Korea Locks The Capital City Of Pyongyang For Five Days

Illustration of North Korea when hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - Authorities in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, ordered a five-day lockdown due to an unspecified rise in cases of the respiratory disease, Seoul, South Korea-based NK News reported on Wednesday, citing a government notification.

The notice did not mention COVID-19, but said residents in the city were required to stay in their homes until Sunday, as well as having their temperature checked several times each day, reported Reuters from NK News January 25.

On Tuesday, the website reported Pyongyang residents were stocking up on essential goods, anticipating tougher measures.

However, it is not clear whether other areas of the country have imposed a similar lockdown as Pyongyang.

It is known that North Korea announced its first COVID-19 outbreak in May last year. In August, the government declared victory over the virus.

North Korea has never confirmed how many of its citizens have contracted COVID-19, which is partly due to a lack of facilities to carry out widespread testing.

Instead, local authorities are reporting the number of fever patients every day, a tally that rises to around 4.77 million, out of a population of around 25 million. But it has not reported such a case since July 29.

Meanwhile, state media continues to report on anti-pandemic measures to combat respiratory illnesses, including the flu, but has not reported any lockdown orders.

On Tuesday, state news agency KCNA said Kaesong City, near the border with South Korea, has intensified its public communications campaign, "so that all workers comply with anti-epidemic regulations voluntarily in their work and life."