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


Seoul: Authorities in the North Korean capital Pyongyang have ordered a five-day lockdown due to rising cases of an unspecified respiratory illness, Seoul-based NK News reported on Wednesday, citing a government notice.
The notice did not mentioned 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, according to NK News, which monitors North Korea.
On Tuesday, the website reported that Pyongyang residents were appeared to be stocking up on goods in anticipation of stricter measures. It is unclear if other areas of the country have imposed new lockdowns.
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.
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.
On Tuesday, state news agency KCNA said the city of Kaesong, near the border with South Korea, had intensified public communication campaigns "so that all the working people observe anti-epidemic regulations voluntarily in their work and life".
SOURCE: REUTERS

Abhishek Bachchan first time wins Best Actor Filmfare Award in 25-year career
- 14 hours ago

Here’s how Apple is locking down iPhones to comply with Texas’ age verification law
- 16 hours ago

Azad Kashmir Information Minister Mazhar Saeed resigns
- 15 hours ago

Apple’s executive reshuffling isn’t over
- 16 hours ago

Punjab govt's important decision regarding toll plazas for public convenience
- 15 hours ago

OpenAI allegedly sent police to an AI regulation advocate’s door
- 16 hours ago

Once a club on the rise, Liverpool in desperate need of a spark under Gareth Taylor
- 13 hours ago

Establishing Palestine with pre-1967 borders is bedrock of Pakistan's Middle East policy: PM
- 15 hours ago

Can America recover from Trump? Here’s what new data says.
- 14 hours ago

We’re all about to be in wearable hell
- 16 hours ago

Google to invest $15bn in India
- 15 hours ago

You can still snag LG’s C4 OLED TV at half the price
- 16 hours ago