Residents have reportedly been told to remain in their houses because of a ‘national problem’
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered a nationwide lockdown. Picture: KCNA VIA REUTERSNorth Korea confirmed its first Covid-19 outbreak on Thursday, calling it the “gravest national emergency” and ordering a national lockdown, with state media reporting an Omicron variant has been detected in Pyongyang.
Samples taken on May 8 from people in Pyongyang who were experiencing fevers showed a sub-variant of the Omicron virus, also known as BA.2, the report said, without providing details on case numbers or possible sources of infection. While the North has never before confirmed a single coronavirus infection in the country, officials in South Korea and the US have doubted that the country is Covid-free, as cases of the Omicron variant were widely reported in neighbouring South Korea and China.
The news of the outbreak comes amid reports of preparations for an imminent nuclear test by the North, which has also aggressively pursued a ballistic missile programme, according to US and South Korean officials. Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute noted that North Korea’s nationwide lockdown had the potential to be immensely disruptive.
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