North Korean authorities send aid supplies to Kaesong under COVID-19 lockdown: Reports

North Korean authorities have sent special aid packages containing food and medical supplies to the border town of Kaesong which remains under a strict lockdown due to COVID-19 fear, state media reports stated on Sunday, August 9.

According to the reports, North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong Un has declared an emergency and imposed a strict lockdown on the small town near the Korean border after a person was found showing symptoms of the virus. 

READ: North Korea: Kim Jong Un Orders Distribution Of Aid In City Under Coronavirus Lockdown

North Korea fears COVID-19

As per North Korean state media reports, the capital city of Pyongyang has not reported any case of COVID-19 infections but has taken strict quarantine measures, thermal screening, providing food, testing kits, and other medical aids to curb the spread of the infection.

The state media on Sunday is reported to have shown a train arriving at the border town of Kaesong with a truckload of supplies for the residents. In addition, reports further mention scores of people seen wearing masks and sitting at a distance from each other at an auditorium to thank the authorities for aid. 

READ: Kim Visits North Korea Flood Zone, Orders Shelter, Food Aid

Meanwhile, North Korea has already shut its borders and incorporated travel restrictions. In the last week of July, North Korea had imposed its “maximum emergency system” to curb the spread of coronavirus. 

North Korean state media then reported leader Kim Jong Un to have ordered for a total lockdown of Kaesong. The country's revelations of its first potential COVID-19 case and the emergency response has caught international attention.

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