North Korea’s first case of Covid-19 has been confirmed
North Korea’s first case of Covid-19 has been confirmed, with mask-wearing leader Kim Jong Un vowing to ‘overcome’ the pandemic and state media declaring a ‘severe national emergency.’
After more than two years of keeping the pandemic at bay, North Korea reported its first-ever case of Covid-19 on Thursday, calling it a “serious national emergency incident.”
Samples taken from people sick with fever in Pyongyang on Sunday were ‘consistent with’ the virus’ highly transmissible Omicron form, according to the state-run KCNA news agency.
Top North Korean authorities, including leader Kim Jong Un, convened a crisis politburo meeting to discuss the epidemic and announced that a ‘maximum emergency’ virus control system will be implemented.
According to KCNA, Kim stated during the meeting that “the goal was to eradicate the root in the shortest time possible.”
‘He informed us that, as a result of the people’s strong political consciousness, we will undoubtedly overcome the problem and win the emergency quarantine project,’ the statement stated.
According to KCNA, Kim called for tougher border controls and lockdowns, ordering civilians to “totally block the transmission of the dangerous virus by thoroughly sealing their areas in all towns and counties across the country.”
To prevent the transmission of disease, all business and manufacturing activities will be organized so that each work unit is ‘isolated.’
Despite the decision to intensify anti-virus measures, Kim instructed officials to continue with planned construction, agricultural growth, and other state initiatives while also strengthening the country’s defense postures to avoid a security vacuum.
Since early 2020, the impoverished nuclear-armed nation has been enforcing a strict self-imposed coronavirus blockade to shield itself from the epidemic.
It closed practically all trade and visitors for two years, shocking an economy already battered by decades of mismanagement and severe US-led sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs.
North Korea tentatively restored train freight business between Sinuiju and China’s Dandong in January, but China halted the trade last month while it dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak in Dandong.
It has so far avoided vaccines distributed through the United Nations-backed COVAX program, probably due to international monitoring procedures.
Until Thursday, North Korea has not confirmed a single case of coronavirus.
According to the World Health Organization, North Korea has undertaken 13,259 Covid-19 tests by the end of 2020, all of which were negative.
North Korea’s collapsing health system, according to analysts, would struggle to cope with a large virus breakout.
Previous reports have claimed that North Korea had seen Covid-19 outbreaks in the past, though due to the government’s secrecy, it has been difficult to verify the virus’s exact impact inside the country.
