North Korea raises fear of COVID-19 outbreak amid escalating virus response

North Korean government is putting thousands of people under quarantine while shipping food items and other necessary aids to a southern city in lockdown amid COVID-19 fear.

According to the reports, an exchange between Kim Jong Un-led government and the United Nations is providing new clarity about what might be happening in North Korea despite it earlier claims about being 'virus-free'.

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“Maximum emergency system” imposed

In addition to that, North Korea has already shut its borders and incorporated travel restrictions. In the last week of July, North Korea had imposed its “maximum emergency system” to curb the spread of coronavirus. The move came after a person was found with COVID-19 symptoms in Kaesong city near South Korea. 

North Korean state media then reported leader Kim Jong Un to have ordered for a total lockdown of Kaesong. The country's revelations of its first potential COVID-19 case and the emergency response has caught international attention.

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Many foreign experts have been dismissive of North Korea’s assertion of 'no cases' as it shares a land border with China, where the virus emerged. As per reports, WHO informed that North Korea has quarantined 64 first contacts of the suspected the Kaesong case and 3,571 secondary contacts in state-run facilities for a period of 40 days. 

Earlier, Kim Jong Un directed his government agencies to act immediately to stabilise the livelihoods of Kaesong, state media reported Thursday. North Korea had locked down Kaesong near the inter-Korean border after finding a suspected virus case there. It hasn’t confirmed yet if the person tested positive and still says the country hasn’t had a single case of COVID-19.

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