An awareness campaign about the coronavirus was launched along the Burma-China border in Kachin State by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

Col. Nhpang Naw Bu, in charge of KIO’s information department, told KNG they are providing Kachin with information about how to prevent contracting the pathogen that was believed to have originated in a market in Wuhan in China selling wild animals.

There was a radio broadcast explaining how to wear a face mask, advice to avoid crowded areas and how to maintain personal hygiene to prevent being infected,  Nhpang Naw Bu said.

 

“We also circulated pamphlets (leaflets) in crowded areas like markets.”

The awareness campaign included Kachin internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in its controlled area.

Anyone with a cough, respiratory problems or high fever was instructed to go to the hospital.

So far, the border with China is still open and there aren’t restrictions on public gatherings.

Chinese nationals are not entering Burma through KIO’s checkpoints, according to Kachin locals.

 

There hasn’t been any reported cases of the virus in KIO’s controlled area but with many Kachin IDPs going to China for work and then returning home it’s possible for an outbreak in Kachin State.

There were 105 people infected by the coronavirus in Yunnan as of Feb 2, according to Chinese news agencies.

There hasn’t been any confirmed cases of the virus in the rest of Myanmar but several people have been placed under quarantine after they exhibited related symptoms to the pathogen.

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Photo -  Laiza, the de facto capital of Kachin Independence Organization, Kachin State, northern Burma