North Korea’s response to coronavirus has been a ‘shining success’, says Kim Jong-un

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Kim Jong-un has said that North Korea has stopped the coronavirus making inroads in his country and his response to the pandemic has been a “shining success”.

According to state news agency KCNA, Mr Kim told a meeting of the politburo of the ruling Workers Party that North Korea had “thoroughly prevented the inroad of the malignant virus and maintained a stable anti-epidemic situation despite the worldwide health crisis, which is a shining success achieved.”

He warned against complacency or relaxation in the anti-epidemic effort and urged North Koreans to maintain “maximum alert”, KCNA said in a statement.

The politburo meeting on Thursday comes as many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns, even as the world moves quickly past the grim milestones of 10 million confirmed infections and 500,000 deaths.

North Korea has reopened schools but kept a ban on public gatherings and made it mandatory for people to wear masks in public places as part of its response to the coronavirus threat, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official said on Wednesday.

While the reclusive country has not confirmed any infections, its public health ministry has reported all 922 people checked so far have tested negative. Hundreds of people, mostly cargo handlers at seaports and land borders, are regularly quarantined for monitoring.

Thursday’s politburo meeting also touched on construction of the Pyongyang General Hospital, underway in the capital. Kim expressed satisfaction with the project and thanked the builders for making headway under unfavorable conditions.

“Kim Jong-un made sure powerful national measures were taken for urgently solving the problems arising to brilliantly complete the hospital which would provide the people with the most advanced medical service, to be of the world standard,” KCNA said.