What Is The 'Yellow Dust Coming From China' That North Korea Warns Could Bring COVID?

North Korea claims it has ¡°zero cases of Covid-19" and to maintain that record, it has urged people to stay indoors because "yellow dust" coming from China could potentially "carry the novel coronavirus into the country."

The North Korean state media made that claim during a weather program, which included the details of the Chinese yellow dust containing 'coronavirus, pathogenic microorganisms and toxic materials'. The streets of its capital city Pyongyang were reportedly empty following the warning.

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The state claims to be coronavirus-free but has been on high alert since January with strict border closures and restrictions on movement.

What has North Korea said?

State-controlled Korean Central Television (KCTV) broadcast special weather segments on Wednesday, warning of an influx of the yellow dust the next day. It also announced a nationwide ban on outdoor construction work.

An article published in the state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun said that ¡° the data that malignant viruses can be transferred by air, etc., the necessity to deal with the yellow dust phenomenon consciously and to take thorough measures is becoming more prominent.¡±

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It also said: ¡°all workers¡­ must clearly recognise the danger of invading malicious viruses.¡±

Embassies were also reportedly warned about the incoming dust storm. The Russian Embassy in North Korea even shared a Facebook post urging its staff and visitors in the country to stay at home during the dust storm.

¡°According to us, the precautionary measures are due to the fact that together with the particles of ¡®yellow dust¡¯ a new type of coronavirus can be introduced into the territory of the republic,¡± the North Korean embassy added.

What is this mysterious yellow dust?

Yellow dust is sand from deserts in China and Mongolia that gets blown by high speed surface winds into both North and South Korea during specific periods every year. The sand particles tend to mix with other toxic substances such as industrial pollutants, as a result of which the ¡®yellow dust¡¯ is known to cause a number of respiratory ailments.

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Usually, when the dust reaches unhealthy levels in the atmosphere, authorities urge people to remain indoors and limit physical activity, particularly heavy exercise and sport. Sometimes, when the concentration of yellow dust in the atmosphere crosses around 800 micrograms/cubic meter, schools are shut and outdoor events cancelled in the affected areas.

The dust had cleared from the Korean peninsula by Friday and was forecast to stay that way on the weekend.

Can virus really travel via air?

North Korean state media has reasoned that research linking the coronavirus to airborne transmission means it "should take the incoming flow of yellow dust seriously", reported the specialist news site NK News.

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There is no known link between the seasonal dust clouds and COVID-19. But the experts haven't ruled out the possibility. In addition, they are not the only country to suggest a link. The BBC's Disinformation Team notes Turkmenistan also alleged virus-laden dust was the reason citizens were being told to wear masks. They have denied trying to cover up an outbreak.

The US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) also said the virus can travel in the air for hours. However, being infected by the virus in this way is extremely rare, the CDC added.

The main ways that the virus spreads are through coughs, sneezes or talking to and therefore being in the close vicinity of an infected person. On the other hand, the BBC says that officials in Turkmenistan has told its citizens to wear face masks to avoid virus-laden dust.

Despite claiming there are no cases, analysts believe that it is highly unlikely that North Korea is actually in this position.