Pyongyang’s implementation of a “special anti-epidemic period” in late January was limited to areas surrounding the city’s diplomatic district and did not involve a city-wide lockdown, Daily NK has learned.
According to the Associated Press on Jan. 30, the Russian embassy in Pyongyang posted a message on its Facebook saying that the North Korean foreign ministry had informed foreign diplomats that the “intensified anti-epidemic period” imposed in Pyongyang since last Wednesday was lifted on Monday.
According to the Russian embassy, North Korea’s foreign ministry had explained in its original notice that with the rise of people suffering from contagious respiratory illnesses, including influenza, the authorities were imposing special anti-epidemic measures in response. The notice went on to instruct foreign embassies to restrict movement as much as possible during the “special anti-epidemic period” while performing temperature checks on staff four times a day and reporting the results to the Pyongyang Hospital “Friendship” by 3 PM every day.
However, the North Korean foreign ministry’s notice did not include any mention of “COVID-19,” nor did it comment on any restrictions imposed on ordinary citizens in the city during the “special anti-epidemic period.”
FUMIGATION VEHICLES DEPLOYED NEAR DIPLOMATIC DISTRICT
Multiple sources in Pyongyang confirmed to Daily NK that neighborhood watch units, or inminban, along with various agencies and organizations throughout Pyongyang did not receive instructions or orders related to the implementation of the “special anti-epidemic period.”
Even before Jan. 25, North Korean anti-epidemic regulations required people with fevers to report to clinics or hospitals before self-isolating at home, according to the sources. They also reported that during the time in which the “special anti-epidemic period” was imposed, ordinary North Koreans in Pyongyang were neither restricted from leaving their homes, nor were local markets or shops shut down for disease-control purposes.
That being said, North Korean authorities did deploy fumigation vehicles in areas near Pyongyang’s diplomatic district during the “special anti-epidemic period,” including Daedonggang District, Moranbong District, and Jung District. Daily NK sources witnessed these vehicles disinfecting the exteriors of buildings and external facilities several times.
Daily NK’s sources in Pyongyang said there had been a rumor circulating in the city that the vehicles had been deployed to disinfect areas where rallies had been held in January. These rallies had been held to unite local citizens behind decisions made during the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Another reason why it is unlikely North Korea imposed a city-wide lockdown in Pyongyang is related to revisions made to its Law on Emergency Anti-epidemic Work in November of last year. According to the revisions, when the country is under the “normal epidemic prevention system,” the authorities refrain from locking down entire cities and instead focus on isolating specific areas such as neighborhoods, apartments, and work units with suspected COVID-19 cases.
Daily NK’s sources in Pyongyang stated that the authorities would not take the special measure of locking down an entire city unless the authorities had increased the level of the country’s epidemic prevention system.
NO SIGNS OF LOCKDOWNS OUTSIDE OF PYONGYANG, EITHER
Meanwhile, there have been no signs that North Korean authorities have taken special quarantine measures in areas outside of Pyongyang where people continue to suffer from high fevers, coughing, or breathing problems.
According to a Daily NK source in North Pyongan Province, there has been a recent rise in suspected COVID-19 cases in areas along the border with China, such as Sinuiju, Rongchon County, and Chulsan County.
These suspected cases include people complaining of fevers higher than 38 degrees Celsius, coughing, sore throats, and headaches – all symptoms potentially caused by COVID-19. Hospitals and clinics in the region, however, are simply diagnosing these cases as “the flu,” and are not mentioning COVID-19 in any circumstances.
Recently, there has also been a dramatic rise in suspected COVID-19 cases in Hyesan, Yanggang Province, but North Korean authorities have not announced the implementation of a “special anti-epidemic period” or taken measures such as banning people from leaving their homes.
“Recently, the number of people suffering from COVID-19 symptoms has increased to the extent that people are saying that there’s at least one person per household [who has been infected by the virus],” a Daily NK source in Yanggang Province said. “Clinics and hospitals diagnose these cases as the flu, simply telling people to self-isolate at home to prevent the spread of contagious disease.”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
