North Korea locks down capital over 'respiratory illness.
SEOUL: North Korea has ordered a five-day lockdown in the capital over a "respiratory illness", a report said on Wednesday, the first citywide since it declared victory over Covid-19 in August 2022. There are restrictions.
Pyongyang residents have been ordered to stay indoors from Wednesday to Sunday and must undergo multiple temperature checks daily, according to a government notice, Seoul-based expert site NK News reported.
The report said that the notice did not mention Covid but that the common cold is among the diseases currently spreading in the capital.
It is unclear whether other regions have imposed similar lockdowns, and state media have not announced any new measures.
Experts suggest North Korea's largest city may be dealing with a resurgence of Covid.
The Korean peninsula is currently under what forecasters have described as a Siberian winter, with temperatures in Pyongyang plunging to minus 22 degrees Celsius (-7.6 Fahrenheit).
"It was premature for North Korea to celebrate its victory over the virus... With the temperature dropping, Covid has re-emerged," Gu told AFP.
China trade China, North Korea's neighbor, and leading trading partner, recently abandoned its zero-covid policies and battled a wave of infections that overwhelmed hospitals and cemeteries.
Experts say North Korea has one of the world's worst healthcare systems, with poor hospitals, few intensive care units, and no Covid-19 treatment.
It is not believed to have vaccinated any of its 25 million people, although reports suggest it has received some vaccines from China.
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