North Korea has been offering discounted lodging rates for
residents who have returned from abroad and must endure a mandatory 21-day
quarantine put in place as a precautionary measure against Ebola, but only if they provide their own food for the duration of their stay.
For the forced quarantine, the North has been charging
people–primarily cross-border traders and those traveling to visit relatives
in China on special permits– for lodging fees, stirring up discontent
among those in isolation, which is thought to be reason behind the new measure, according to
a local source.
βResidents who have been put in isolation at the Chongchon
Hotel in Anju City, South Pyongan Province, are paying 15,000 KPW [1.90 USD] a day for
lodging expenses,β the source in the province told the Daily NK on Wednesday.
βThe price isnβt that expensive, but because theyβre there for 21 days, it adds
up quickly.β
Many complained about the forced quarantine saying,
βItβs upsetting enough that we have to be confined. It seems wrong to even
have to pay this amount for it,β according to the source. As such, the state
has allowed people to bring in food from outside and receive a discount of
5,000 KPW [0.62 USD] to reflect the hotel’s savings in no longer having to provide them with full meals.
Pyongyang has barred the entry of foreign tourists since
October 24th, prompted by growing fears of a global outbreak of the Ebola
virus, and extended the quarantine measure to all North Korean residents
returning to the country after spending time abroad for any reason.
The aggregate cost incurred by most subjected to the
quarantine comes to 315,000 KPW [39 USD], the source said. This is enough to buy about
63 kilograms of rice [roughly 5,000 KPW per kilogram] in the market at current
rates. With just one trip outside of the country, people are forced to give up
money that would have provided enough food for a family of four to live on for
a month.
To qualify for this discount, North Koreans have been buying
up side dishes and snacks at Chinese markets ahead of their return. Some are
even buying portable gas stoves, pots, and other kitchen supplies, according to
the source.
βIf they pay a fee, they can receive rice [at the hotel], so
people at least try to cook their own jjigae [stew],β he explained. βSome are
devising plans to share the food supplies and divide up the side dishes between
groups with coinciding dates of entry.β
While the North has been allowing these China-manufactured
cooking utensils and supplies in, any products originating in South Korea are
strictly forbidden, he noted.
βOne person tried to bring in a rice cooker [from the South]
but was admonished at customs and had it confiscated,β he explained, adding,
βEven if the snacks have Korean written on them, they are singled out by
inspectors and blocked from entry.β
While people are more satisfied that they are have been
granted permission to take care of their own meals, the lodging costs are still
quite burdensome, the source said.
βIt trims the cost by 5,000 KPW a day, but itβs still about
200,000 KPW [25 USD] that has to be paid up for no good reason,β they have said,
according to the source. Others have complained, saying, βChinese vendors that
we met [in China] werenβt even talking about Ebola, so I donβt know why itβs
only us that have to go through this.β
The source speculated that the forced quarantine will remain
in place for the time being. βInitially, people thought it would end pretty
soon, but looking at how things are these days, more merchants are predicting
that itβs not going to be a short one,β he concluded.
