North Korea Also Deploys Healthcare Workers to Prevent COVID-19 Spread

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Dong-pyo] North Korea is also struggling to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia).

According to the Rodong Sinmun, the Workers' Party's official newspaper, on the 4th, to prevent the novel coronavirus, a large number of senior officials at the 'ministerial level' or higher from Cabinet ministries have been deployed to the Central Emergency Command, and about 30,000 healthcare workers are mobilized daily for resident screenings.

On that day, Rodong Sinmun stated, "Our Party has further strengthened the capabilities of the relevant divisions organized under the Central Emergency Epidemic Prevention Command, planned guidance activities, identified any gaps in infection prevention, and took new measures again to establish thorough countermeasures."

In particular, it reported, "The relevant divisions have been reinforced more strongly with responsible workers from the Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce, as well as the relevant provinces and central institutions, prioritizing this work over other tasks."

Accordingly, the "Central Emergency Epidemic Prevention Command," strengthened with more powerful capabilities, has been subdivided into comprehensive, political, political/lockdown and quarantine, hygiene propaganda, inspection, pharmaceutical affairs, treatment, and external divisions.

The term 'responsible workers' refers to senior officials at the Cabinet ministries and various levels of institutions who are at least ministers or Party committee chairpersons (heads of Party organizations), corresponding to ministerial level in the South.

It appears that, under the direction of State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, minister-level personnel have been appointed as heads of divisions within the Central Command, but specific names have not been disclosed.

North Korea declared a national emergency epidemic prevention system and is focusing all efforts on infection prevention as the novel coronavirus spread from Wuhan (武漢), China.

In particular, despite economic damage, it completely locked down the border with China. On this day, the newspaper introduced that the 'lockdown and quarantine division' is "thoroughly establishing flawless countermeasures by specifically controlling the routes through which the novel coronavirus could enter."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.