In what seems to be the first urban restrictions since the government announced triumph over Covid-19 in August 2022, North Korea has reportedly imposed a five-day lockdown in the capital due to “respiratory disease,” according to a report released on Wednesday.
According to a government notification cited by the Seoul-based specialist site NK News, residents of Pyongyang have been forced to remain inside their houses from Wednesday through Sunday and must submit to several temperature inspections daily.
The report stated that while the notification made no mention of Covid, it did list the common cold as one of the ailments that were currently circulating in the city.
The official directive comes a day after NK News reported that residents of the city looked to be stockpiling items in anticipation of a lockdown, according to sources in Pyongyang.
The extent of any additional lockdowns is unknown, and state media has not reported any new regulations.
According to experts, Covid is undoubtedly causing problems in North Korea’s main metropolis.
“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.
Currently, the Korean peninsula is experiencing what weather experts have dubbed a Siberian cold snap, with Pyongyang seeing lows of -22 degrees Celsius (-7.6 Fahrenheit).
Go told AFP that it was premature for North Korea to declare triumph over the virus because it had returned due to the recent drop in temperature.
“North Korea must have prepared for it to some extent, but it seems that the virus reappeared a little sooner than they thought.”
Trade with China
China, a neighbour of North Korea and a significant trading partner, recently abandoned its zero-Covid rules and struggled to contain an outbreak of diseases that overflowed hospitals and crematoriums.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, North Korea has maintained a strict blockade, but it does permit some trade with China.
North Korea confirmed its first Covid outbreak in May of last year but declared triumph over the virus only three months later, describing it as a “miracle.”
Experts have long disputed Pyongyang’s Covid figures and assurances that the outbreak has been contained, including the World Health Organization.
According to experts, North Korea has one of the poorest healthcare systems in the world, with underfunded hospitals, few intensive care units, and no Covid therapeutic options.
Despite rumors to the contrary, it is not thought to have immunized any of its 25 million inhabitants, but it may have imported certain vaccinations from China.
