SEOUL: According to a report published on Wednesday, North Korea has imposed a five-day lockdown in the capital due to “respiratory illness.” This appears to be the first citywide restriction since the country declared victory over Covid-19 in August 2022.
NK News, citing a government notice, reported that Pyongyang residents have been instructed to remain inside their homes from Wednesday to Sunday and must submit to multiple temperature checks each day.
According to the report, although Covid was not mentioned in the notice, the common cold was one of the illnesses that were currently spreading throughout the capital.
A day earlier, NK News, citing sources in Pyongyang, reported that people in the city appeared to be stocking up on goods in anticipation of a lockdown. The government order comes one day later.
The state media has not announced any new measures, so it is unclear if similar lockdowns have been implemented elsewhere.
Experts suggested that the largest city in North Korea is probably dealing with the return of Covid.
Go Myong-Hyun, a researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, stated, “Covid is disappearing and reappearing depending on the temperature, not just in North Korea but around the world.” This phenomenon can be observed worldwide.
Forecasters have described the current state of the Korean peninsula as a Siberian cold snap, with Pyongyang experiencing temperatures as low as minus 22 degrees Celsius (-7.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
According to Go, who spoke with AFP, “It was quite premature for North Korea to celebrate its victory over the virus… with the drop in temperature, Covid has re-emerged.”
“It appears that the virus reappeared a little sooner than they thought,” although “North Korea must have prepared for it to some extent.”
