North Korea’s disease control authorities have been monitoring the COVID-19 situation throughout the country through virtual meetings with provincial officials on a daily basis, Daily NK learned through sources in the country on Apr. 10.
The central disease control command reportedly submits daily reports to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un based on reports gleaned from disease control officials in each of the country’s provinces through the teleconferences.
“They’ll hold a virtual meeting every morning and evening to report on the situation in their respective locations,” one source in the country said.
Each provincial disease control command center reportedly keeps their virtual meeting platforms online at all times to ensure they are ready to receive emergency orders from the central disease control command.
These reports from Daily NK sources comes after the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that virtual meetings had taken place between disease control officials in the country on Apr. 3.
STILL LACKING TESTING EQUIPMENT
Daily NK sources confirmed that hospitals in the provinces “just don’t have enough testing equipment” so all they can do is take people’s temperatures and check for fevers.
“If the person has a fever of over 37.4 degrees Celsius that lasts for more than three days, they’ll just have the person quarantine themselves at home,” one source told Daily NK.
North Korea is unable to place all potential sufferers of COVID-19 into quarantine facilities so the authorities “have no other choice but to force people just to stay at home,” the source added.
In contrast, North Korean disease control authorities have placed strict quarantines on those who have traveled into China or had contact with Chinese people.
North Koreans working in the Sino-North Korean border region, such as traders, are forced into quarantine for a month before leaving the region. The workers are placed in motels, lecture halls and other empty buildings during their period of isolation.
Previously, North Korea had quarantined the workers in groups of three but recently revised this policy so that each person has their own room, Daily NK sources confirmed.
*Translated by Violet Kim
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