SENG PHOO — Trade has slowed in in the Shan-Thai border town of Tachileik and people are wary of going out in public as the cases of COVID-19 rise in the township, according to local sources.

There were 34 people being treated for the virus in Tachileik Township as of Monday.

Authorities have locked down Mong Hpong village tract in the township, as it has seen a particularly sharp increase in COVID-19 patients, with six new patients testing positive on Sunday.

“The first confirmed case of COVID-19 was found in Mong Hpong. Local people in Tachileik are afraid to go outside of their homes. Commerce is slowing down,” local man Sai Kyauk said.

“Nobody dares to go outside of their homes in Tachileik town. Even though trade is still going on, it’s very small-scale,” Nang Hom, who has a grocery shop in Tachileik, told SHAN.

According to locals, authorities have restricted travel to and from Tachileik, and require 14 days of quarantine for both new arrivals and for those from Tachileik entering new townships.

“Tachileik has been silent since last night. Almost all grocery shops are closed. Village and ward authorities can lock down their villages and wards,” Sai Noom Twe, the chair of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy in the township, told SHAN.

At the time of reporting, the Ministry of Health and Sports had reported 90,713 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Burma since the start of the pandemic. Among them, 70,156 have recovered and 1,941 patients have died.