According to North Korean state media, the country has discovered its first ever case of Covid-19, describing the situation as a “major national emergency.”
Omicron variant cases have been reported in Pyongyang, according to state-run news agency KCNA, but it’s not clear how many people have been infected.
According to KCNA, samples taken from a group of people who had fevers on May 8 had been found to contain the highly contagious Omicron variant.
For North Korea, an outbreak of Covid-19 could spell disaster. Because of the country’s deteriorating health care system, it is unlikely that it will be able to handle an outbreak of a highly infectious disease.
It’s unlikely that a virus that’s infected millions of people around the world hasn’t found its way to North Korea, which had previously refused to acknowledge any coronavirus cases.
According to KCNA, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday ordered all cities to be put on lockdown and directed that the party’s medical supplies be distributed in the event of a Covid emergency.
Even though it’s not clear exactly what these “maximum” emergency anti-epidemic measures will entail, Kim presided over a meeting of the country’s powerful Politburo.
Politburo members have accused anti-epidemic officials of “carelessness, laxity, incompetence, and irresponsibility,” saying they have “failed to respond sensitively” to an increasing number of Covid-19 cases around the world.
In an interview with KCNA, Kim said the country would overcome the “unexpected Covid-19 outbreak,” according to the news agency.
A series of draconian public health measures have helped North Korea so far to keep an outbreak of Covid-19 at bay.
Although trade with China will suffer as a result of the quarantine, North Korea’s borders have been closed since January 2020 to keep the virus at bay.
- Tags: Covid-19, North Korea
