North Korea officially reports first COVID-19 case, orders national lockdown – By Thomas Maresca (UPI) / May 12, 2022
SEOUL, May 12 (UPI) — North Korea has recorded its first official COVID-19 infection, state-run media reported on Thursday, with leader Kim Jong Un announcing a strict lockdown at an emergency meeting of top politburo officials.
Samples taken from patients with fevers in the capital city of Pyongyang “coincided with” the highly contagious Omicron BA.2 coronavirus variant, the Korean Central News Agency reported. Officials at the meeting announced that they would implement a “maximum emergency epidemic prevention system.”
The number of positive cases was not detailed.
At the meeting, Kim called on “all the cities and counties of the whole country to thoroughly lock down,” KCNA reported, in order to “flawlessly and perfectly block the spread” of the virus. He also ordered officials to conduct extensive nationwide testing and disinfection campaigns.
