N.Korea discusses revising COVID curbs, outbreak ‘improving’

FILE PHOTO: Volunteers carry out temperature screening during an anti-virus campaign in Pyongyang, North Korea in this image released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 4, 2020. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo

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SEOUL, May 29 (Reuters) – Top North Korean officials discussed revising anti-epidemic restrictions on Sunday as they assessed the situation over the country’s first acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak was “improving”, state media reported.

A politburo meeting guided by leader Kim Jong Un “made a positive evaluation of the pandemic situation being controlled and improved across the country and discussed the issues of continuously stabilising and improving the overall anti-epidemic situation,” said KCNA news agency.

North Korea reported no new deaths among fever patients for a second consecutive day, and said 89,500 more people showed fever symptoms on Sunday.

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That is down from nearly 400,000 about 11 days ago.

The isolated country has been fighting an unprecedented COVID wave since declaring a state of emergency and imposing a nationwide lockdown this month, fuelling concerns about lack of vaccines, medical supplies and food. read more

Efforts to strengthen anti-epidemic measures were being taken across North Korea, including collecting rain water, examining virus-resistant medicines and setting up quarantine places, KCNA said.

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Reporting by Cynthia Kim; Editing by Sandra Maler and William Mallard

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

source: reuters.com