North Korean authorities are intensifying restrictions in regions of the country bordering China following a large increase in the number of people suffering from coronavirus-like symptoms, Daily NK has learned.<\/p>\n
According to multiple sources in North Korea last Friday, the number of people complaining of high-fever, coughs, respiratory difficulties and sore throats has soared in regions along the border with China, such as Sinuiju and Sakju, as well as in the port of Nampo, through which much of North Korea\u2019s trade with China is conducted.<\/span><\/p>\n When someone first comes down with fever, the case is reported to the local neighborhood watch unit and health clinic, but the country’s quarantine agencies are not providing diagnoses or treatments beyond simple temperature checks.<\/span><\/p>\n North Korean authorities do not conduct diagnostic tests even if patients present COVID-19 symptoms, making it difficult for fever patients to accurately determine if they have the coronavirus or not.<\/span><\/p>\n North Korean health authorities are reportedly ordering patients with COVID-like symptoms to quarantine at home, telling them they have \u201cthe flu.\u201d Just like COVID-19, the flu<\/span>\u00a0is a highly communicable infectious disease.<\/span><\/p>\n However, with COVID-like cases spiking primarily in regions that border China or that have a trade relationship with China, many North Koreans believe the cases are COVID-19 cases.<\/span><\/p>\n TALKING ABOUT COVID-19 IS DANGEROUS<\/strong><\/p>\n That being said, North Koreans are not allowed to say what they are suffering from “seems to be COVID-19.” After North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared \u201cvictory\u201d in the government\u2019s war against the virus last year, p<\/span>eople could face execution if they say COVID-19 has once again reared its head, the source told Daily NK.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n