N. Korea: Pyongyang in 5-Day Lockdown Over 'Respiratory Illness'

The North Korean authorities ordered a five-day lockdown in the country's capital Pyongyang over the hiking number of cases of respiratory illness, media reported on Wednesday.

Media outlets indicated that the residents of Pyongyang began stocking up on goods after receiving an advanced warning of the coming lockdown.

As per the report, the illness spreading in Pyongyang includes symptoms like the common cold, while the notice does not mention COVID-19.

Citizens were ordered to stay home until Sunday night and submit to temperature checks several times on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, authorities did not mention whether lockdowns will be declared in other cities or not.

In 2022, North Korea declared its first Covid-19 outbreak but overcame the virus by August.

On Tuesday, state news agency KCNA said the city of Kaesong, near the border with South Korea, had intensified public communication campaigns “so that all the working people observe anti-epidemic regulations voluntarily in their work and life.”