In Pics: For first time, North Korea reports Omicron cases, goes for lockdown

First-ever Covid outbreak

The country had never admitted to a case of Covid and the government had imposed a rigid coronavirus blockade on its borders since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

But samples taken from patients sick with fever in Pyongyang "coincided with Omicron BA.2 variant", the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

Top officials, including leader Kim Jong Un, held a crisis politburo meeting on Thursday to discuss the outbreak and announced they would implement the "maximum emergency epidemic prevention system".
 

(Photograph:AFP)

Lockdown ordered

Kim "called on all the cities and counties of the whole country to thoroughly lock down their areas," KCNA reported, although details of the restrictions were not immediately given. 

Kim told the meeting that the goal was to "quickly cure the infections in order to eradicate the source of the virus spread," according to KCNA.

Kim added that North Korea will "overcome the current sudden situation and win victory in the emergency epidemic prevention work".

It was unclear from the KCNA report how many Covid infections had been detected.
 

(Photograph:Reuters)

No vaccinations

North Korea has turned down offers of vaccinations from the World Health Organisation, and China and Russia.

North Korea's crumbling health infrastructure would struggle to deal with a major outbreak, with its 25 million people not believed to be vaccinated, experts say.

Accepting vaccines through the WHO's Covax scheme "requires transparency over how vaccines are distributed," Go Myong-hyun, researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies told AFP.

"That's why North Korea rejected it," Go said.

North Korea is surrounded by countries that have battled or are still fighting to control significant outbreaks of Omicron.

South Korea, which has high rates of vaccination, has recently eased almost all Covid restrictions, with cases sharply down after an Omicron-fuelled spike in March.
 

(Photograph:Reuters)

May avoid extreme measures taken by China

It appears North Korea will try to avoid China's extreme measures like "virtually imprisoning residents in apartments", said Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute.

Major Chinese cities, including the financial capital Shanghai, have been under strict lockdowns for weeks.

But even more limited lockdowns would create a "severe food shortage and the same chaos China is now facing," he said.

Seoul-based specialist site NK News reported that areas of Pyongyang had already been locked down for two days, with reports of panic buying.
 

(Photograph:AFP)

Will Covid outbreak disrupt Nuke test plans?

The public emergence of Covid in Pyongyang could also have repercussions on North Korea's nuclear programme. 

South Korea's hawkish new President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was sworn in Tuesday, has vowed to get tough with Pyongyang, after five years of failed diplomacy.

Satellite imagery indicates North Korea is preparing to conduct a nuclear test, and the United States has warned this could come as soon as this month.

But the Covid outbreak could potentially disrupt their military programme, analysts said.
 

(Photograph:AFP)