The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) imposed tougher prevention measures against COVID-19 on Tuesday, after it locked down the border town of Kaesong to tackle what could be its first publicly confirmed case of the coronavirus, state news agency Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
Strict quarantine measures and the screening of districts were in progress, and test kits, protective clothing, and medical equipment were being rapidly supplied.
The measures came after DPRK's leader Kim Jong Un declared an emergency on Sunday after a person was suspected to be infected with the coronavirus.
"An emergency event happened in Kaesong City where a runaway who went to the south three years ago, a person who is suspected to have been infected with the vicious virus, returned on July 19 after illegally crossing the demarcation line," KCNA said.
KCNA also added that the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) would "administer a severe punishment and take necessary measures" after an investigation of the military unit responsible for the "loose guard" in the runaway case.
The DPRK had reported testing 1,211 people for the virus as of July 16 with all returning negative results, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement on Monday.
Primers and probes for machines capable of facilitating 1,000 tests have arrived in the DPRK, WHO said. There are 15 laboratories designated to test COVID-19 in the country.
The DPRK has a limited healthcare system with hospitals that lack adequate electricity, medicine, and water. It has long depended on the WHO to procure drugs as sanctions against the country made imports difficult.
In the past months, it received test kits and protective gear from the WHO and countries including Russia, but some of these were held up at the border because of the country's own restrictions.
The DPRK said earlier this month it has started early clinical trial on a vaccine for the virus, but experts are skeptical.
If confirmed, it would be the first case officially acknowledged by DPRK authorities, who have so far said the country has no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus.
In late January, the DPRK declared a national emergency system against the coronavirus, shutting down its borders and tightening quarantine measures.
The DPRK has kept a ban on public gatherings and made it compulsory for people to wear masks in public places, said a Reuters report on July 1 quoting a WHO official.
As of 16:00 (BJT) on Tuesday, there are now 16,495,309 confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide. The United States has the highest number, 4,294,770, followed by Brazil (2,442,375) and India (1,480,073).
(Cover image: DPRK leader Kim Jong Un holds an enlarged emergency meeting of the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee in Pyongyang, in this undated photo released by the Korean Central News Agency on July 25, 2020. /Reuters)
(With input from agencies)
