United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, recently reported that NK News quoted a government notice that had been published on January 25th. The notice stated that North Korea’s Pyongyang authorities had ordered a five-day blockade due to “increased cases of unknown respiratory diseases.” The notice from the North Korean authorities did not mention COVID-19, but residents must still stay at home until the end of January 29th, and have to undergo multiple temperature checks every day. Also, Pyongyang residents seem to be hoarding daily necessities. It’s not clear if the rest of North Korea has also imposed a blockade. The North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that it has stepped up publicity campaigns in Kaesong, which is close to the South Korean border, so that all workers can abide by the epidemic prevention regulations in their work and life. North Korea claimed to have defeated the COVID-19 virus in August last year, but it has never confirmed how many people had been infected. It is speculated that this may be due to the fact that North Korea lacked the resources to carry out mass screening. On the contrary, the North Korean authorities chose to publish a “daily number of patients with fever,” but no such cases have been reported since July 29 of last year.
Source: UDN, January 26, 2023
https://udn.com/news/story/6809/6930585