North Korea locks down the capital due to a "respiratory disease"

North Korean authorities have ordered a five-day lockdown in the capital, Pyongyang, due to a rise in infections with an unspecified respiratory disease, a Seoul-based South Korean website said Wednesday, citing a government notification.

And the "NK News" website, which monitors North Korean news, stated that the notification did not refer to the Corona virus, but pointed out that the common cold is among the new diseases that are currently spreading in the capital, explaining that residents in the city must stay in their homes until the end of Sunday, They must have their temperature taken more than once a day.

The website said on Tuesday that Pyongyang residents appeared to be hoarding goods in anticipation of tougher measures.

But it is not clear whether other regions in North Korea have already imposed new lockdowns.

This measure appears to be the first of its kind taken at this level in the city since the country declared victory over the virus in August 2022.

North Korea recognized the first outbreak of the Corona virus, last year, but in August it announced its victory over the pandemic.

Pyongyang has not confirmed the number of people infected with the virus, apparently due to a lack of supplies for nationwide testing.

However, it disclosed the number of people suffering from a high temperature, which rose to 4.77 million people out of its population of about 25 million.

North Korea has not reported such cases since July 29.

State media continued to cover measures to combat respiratory diseases, including influenza, but they have not yet referred to the closure order.

And the Korean Central News Agency said on Tuesday that the city of Kaesong, near the border with South Korea, has intensified popular campaigns "so that all workers abide by the anti-epidemic rules voluntarily in their work and life."

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