Kim Jong-un lifts Covid lockdown after just three weeks

North Korea has lifted its lockdown in the capital city, Pyongyang, less than three weeks after announcing Covid had first emerged.

A doctor from the Korean People’s Army, right, dispenses medicine during the lockdown in Pyongyang. Picture: AFP.

North Korea has lifted its lockdown in the capital city, Pyongyang, less than three weeks after announcing the presence of Covid in the country, following two years of denials.

Reports in South Korea and Japan based on sources in the city say that restrictions began to be eased on Sunday. Residents of Pyongyang are no longer required to stay at home and businesses are beginning to reopen.

Pyongyang was locked down on May 10, two days before the government officially reported its first cases of Covid-19, having previously insisted that the country was untouched by the disease.

Some foreign experts predicted a devastating pandemic in a country in which there has been no official vaccination program, few intensive care units and limited testing facilities.

As of Monday, North Korea had reported 3.5 million cases of what it describes as “fever”, most of which are assumed to be coronavirus. It has admitted to only 70 deaths – an unfeasibly low number based on mortality rates in vaccinated countries with far better healthcare systems.

Although no announcement of the end of lockdown has yet been made in the state media, reports on a meeting of the country’s politburo on Saturday hinted at an easing of restrictions. The official count of new fever cases has come down to about 100,000 a day, from almost four times that number at the peak.

“The politburo examined the issue of effectively and quickly co-ordinating and enforcing the anti-epidemic regulations and guidelines given the current stable anti-epidemic situation,” the state media said.

In China, Shanghai will lift its lockdown on Wednesday after two months of uncompromising restrictions. People using public transport and entering public venues will still be required to show a negative test result from the previous 72 hours.

The city government also announced a plan to revitalise Shanghai’s economy, including the extension of bank loans for small businesses, and efforts to stimulate the property market.

Tax on car purchases will be reduced and residents will be allowed extra time to pay insurance premiums and household rent. There will be subsidies for motorists buying electric vehicles and for household utility bills.

THE TIMES