{"id":5861,"date":"2022-06-14T13:47:04","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T04:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=5861"},"modified":"2022-06-17T18:36:10","modified_gmt":"2022-06-17T09:36:10","slug":"korona-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2022\/06\/society-economy\/korona-11\/","title":{"rendered":"A glimpse into North Korea\u2019s COVID-19 situation (2)\u3000Urban lockdowns are slowly being lifted, and people in areas where lockdowns have ended are being sent to farms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A dump truck seen on a road near the Chinese-North Korea border heading toward a checkpoint. The guards are wearing masks. This photo was taken in China in July 2021 by ASIAPRESS.<\/p><\/div>\n

fa-arrow-circle-right<\/span><\/i><\/span>A glimpse into North Korea\u2019s COVID-19 situation<\/strong><\/a> (1)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

After the North Korean regime acknowledged an outbreak of COVID-19 on May 12, the authorities locked down many cities in the country\u2019s provinces. Markets were closed, causing chaos among people who could no longer find ways to acquire food and fuel. A month later, North Korea is beginning to lift lockdowns in some cities in the northern part of the country. ASIAPRESS received reports on this situation from reporting partners located in the region. (KANG Ji-won \/ ISHIMARU Jiro<\/em>)<\/p>\n

\u25c6 Certain areas in some cities no longer have bans on movement<\/h2>\n

Hyesan, a city in Yanggang Province, was completely locked down on May 14, quicker than other areas of the country. In early June, ASIAPRESS received reports on the situation from three people living in and around the area. Another reporting partner, \u201cD,\u201d who lives in a city in North Hamgyung Province, also provided an update about the situation in his area of the country.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2015\u2015 Hyesan was locked down more quickly than other areas. What is the situation there now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: \u3000<\/strong>Certain areas of the city are slowly being reopened. The authorities are saying the lockdowns are being lifted in areas where there have been a lot of people who have recovered from their sicknesses. People living in places with a lot of fever cases are still under lockdown. Disease control authorities have conducted lectures saying that because the COVID-19 situation is still very serious, anyone hiding their illness is a traitor and that all potential symptoms of the coronavirus should be reported.<\/p>\n

B:<\/strong> \u3000In the neighborhood I live, the lockdown has been lifted. We can now go outside. The authorities are demanding that we double-mask. Inminban (people\u2019s unit) meetings are held outside our apartment building with everyone wearing a mask. There are still many places that are under lockdown, and people in other apartments still can\u2019t leave their homes. There are still bans on people going to work at factories and companies. The authorities claim we can now go outside, but all we can really do is get some sun.<\/p>\n

C:<\/strong> \u3000The lockdowns have been lifted, but the authorities are controlling access to the Yalu River on the Chinese border more strongly than ever. Levees need to be completed on the river to prepare for the rainy season, but this construction work has been delayed. I\u2019ve heard the Chinese have requested that (North Korea) prevent any crossings over the river or smuggling activity from occurring.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2015\u2015 Are crackdowns on movement still as intense as before?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> \u3000The crackdowns are continuing. Everyone has to tell guards at checkpoints where they are going and for what reason, and if you are caught walking around without permission you are subject to punishment under the quarantine law. Starting now, however, it seems that only sick people will be put under quarantine. They say that inminban will make sure that those under quarantine can\u2019t leave their homes, but people who are not sick will be able to move around.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2015\u2015 Has anyone violated the rules?<\/strong><\/p>\n

B:<\/strong> \u3000There have been people who make a ruckus after drinking alcohol, and those who secretly go outside late at night. There\u2019s even people who steal because they have no money. I\u2019ve heard that people caught walking around during the lockdown period will be punished as traitors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2015\u2015 Have state-sanctioned markets reopened?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> \u3000The markets are still closed (as of June 10). I\u2019ve heard rumors that they will reopen in the first part of June. There are occasionally \u201cgrasshopper sellers\u201d that pop up here and there in the streets, but because \u201cemergency quarantine teams\u201d are cracking down hard on them, the sellers can\u2019t do much business.<\/p>\n

\u203b\u201cGrasshopper sellers\u201d are people who can quickly pick up their wares and change location if local officials appear and try to shut them down.<\/p>\n

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Map of North Korea ( ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 The authorities are ending lockdowns to send more people to agricultural areas<\/h2>\n

\u2015\u2015 Why are the authorities lifting lockdowns in only certain places?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> \u3000The authorities are lifting lockdowns in places where there are factories and companies with many employees (without fever symptoms) who can be mobilized to agricultural areas. The delay in the planting season in rural areas must be severe due to the lack of labor. Only two weeks\u2019 worth of food was distributed in late May. Some families have no more salt, and everybody is suffering because there\u2019s shortages of everything. That explains why I\u2019ve heard that the authorities will lift the lockdowns in the first part of June.<\/p>\n

B:<\/strong> \u3000The authorities are lifting the lockdowns on certain factories, companies, government agencies, and inminban based on the number of fever cases, number of recoveries, and the number of people who don\u2019t have symptoms. It\u2019s all focused on sending more people to agricultural areas. Areas close to farms are creating guidelines for sending people to work in the fields and mobilizing all those who meet these guidelines.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> \u3000In the agricultural area close to where I live, there\u2019s been a ban on people leaving the area (since the COVID-19 outbreak). However, they are allowing people from the city to enter the area (to work on the farms).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2015\u2015 What kind of guidelines have farming villages created to prevent the spread of the disease?<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> \u3000Temperature checks are conducted in each work team. Even if one member of a work team comes down with a fever, other members of that team are required to go to work. They are told to social distance as much as possible while working. They\u2019ve also stopped morning roll calls.<\/p>\n

\u203b Work teams are the smallest group of workers on collective farms. They are generally made up of 10 people.<\/p>\n

\u203b ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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