Can Coronavirus spread through dust clouds? North Korea warns of yellow dust carrying Covid-19 from China

Can Coronavirus get transmitted through dust? The question has been raised after North Korea exhorted its citizens not to venture out as a cloud of ‘Yellow dust’ was blowing from the direction of China. The state-controlled North Korean media Korean Central Television (KCTV) claimed that this ‘yellow dust’ cloud could bring Covid-19. Streets of North Korea’s capital Pyongyang reportedly remained deserted following the warning. While North Korea asserted that the country does not have any coronavirus cases, it has enforced restrictions of movement of mass and imposed border closures measures since January this year.

Last week, KCTV during its weather bulletin warned that yellow dust was coming from China. The North Korean regime enforced a nation-wide ban on outdoor construction projects. Citizens were directed to remain inside their houses and close their windows tightly. After that the state-run newspaper ‘Rodong Sinmun’ an article stating that a malignant virus was entering North Korea through this yellow dust. Even the Russian Embassy in North Korea recommended visitors and its staff to stay at home.

Now the question arises, what is the “Yellow dust”? This yellow dust is basically the sand that originates from deserts in China and Mongolia. Every year, high-speed surface winds carry this yellow dust to South Korea and North Korea. The sand particles after mixing with industrial pollutants cause several respiratory ailments.

South Korea, however, has dismissed this claim by its neighbour North Korea.

Can Coronavirus be transmitted through dust clouds? The US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) revealed that the virus has the capacity to remain airborne for hours. The CDC, however, has also maintained that Covid-19 infection is highly unlikely to spread in this way, especially outdoors. The CDC stated on October 5 “There is no evidence of efficient spread (i.e. routine, rapid spread) to people far away or who enter a space hours after an infectious person was there.”