North Korea's Kim Jong-un spotted wearing mask after country reports 1st COVID outbreak

After North Korea reported a COVID outbreak in the country, its supreme leader Kim Jong-un was seen wearing a mask during the politburo meeting. This is likely the first time, the leader has been seen wearing a mask since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020. The country’s state media suggests that Kim Jong-un convened a politburo meeting where he was seen wearing a mask and asked for maximum anti-COVID-19 response measures after the Omicron variation was discovered on May 8 in the country's capital.

State Media also suggests that North Korea is fighting its first COVID-19 outbreak, nearly two years after the global pandemic began. World Health Organization (WHO) said that North Korea is one of only two countries that have yet to administer vaccinations to its citizens, and no vaccines have been provided to the country.

COVID-19 test samples from people who displayed fever symptoms in Pyongyang had the same gene sequence as the Omicron variant of COVID-19, according to Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim is said to have passed a resolution to transfer the country to a "maximum" emergency anti-epidemic system. The politburo chastised the country's anti-epidemic sector for carelessness, laxity, irresponsibility and ineptitude in failing to respond quickly to an increase in infection.

Lockdown announced due to COVID outbreak in the country

Measures have been taken to ensure that the country's party, administrative, economic, security and defence sectors can restructure their work plans "in line with the operation of the maximal emergency anti-epidemic system." Lockdown was announced due to the COVID outbreak in the country. Several sources in Pyongyang have reported panic buying and supply shortages as a result of the uncertainty over when the lockdown would be lifted. Since early 2020, when North Korea closed its borders to all incoming travel, this is the first reported COVID-19 outbreak in the country, according to media reports.

Hong Min, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) stated that North Korea's state media coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak s primarily intended at informing locals about the new 'maximum' control efforts. Kim stated that citizens should fully block the transmission of the dangerous virus by entirely blocking their areas in all cities across the country.

Image: NK News