Min Htun — People travelling via land or air routes to the Arakan State capital Sittwe will be quarantined for 21 days as part of efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19, according to the Arakan Humanitarian Coordination Team (AHCT).

Prior to the announcement, people travelling to Sittwe from outside regions were permitted to enter the city without undergoing quarantine. However, as of April 25, people are being required to undergo quarantine in Sittwe.

“Some people wished to return home. We have no means of controlling this, as I said, so this is what the government has announced. They said that one cannot simply return home anymore,” AHCT Secretary Kyaw Hsan Hlaing explained.

According to the AHCT, people entering the Arakan State capital who fail to abide by the above stated guidelines will be held to account in accordance with the Natural Disaster Management Law.

The government has set up a Facility Quarantine Centre at the Bu May government servants’ staff housing quarters and Sittwe’s Traditional Hospital, while the AHCT has set up a Community-Base Quarantine Centre in Sittwe’s No. 4 High School.

As of April 26, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Myanmar stood at 146, with five deaths and no recorded cases so far in Arakan State.

Caption : People being monitored while under quarantine in Mrauk-U Township.