North Korean Capital Pyongyang Enters Five-Day Lockdown Due to Rising Respiratory Disease Cases

Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, will be under lockdown for five days starting Wednesday due to a rising number of cases of an unspecified respiratory disease, according to authorities.

The government has not confirmed if the disease is related to COVID-19. But, residents are advised to stay home until Sunday evening and monitor their temperatures multiple times a day.

It is unclear if other regions in North Korea will also implement lockdown measures. North Korea previously acknowledged the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country last year but did not disclose the number of cases.

Observers speculate that the country lacks the resources to conduct widespread testing for COVID-19 and other respiratory-related diseases. Instead, during the pandemic, North Korea reported daily numbers of patients with severe fever.