SENG PHOO — The Shan State government announced it will start providing basic food rations to 650,000 people in need during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Soe Nyunt Lwin, the Shan State Planning and Finance Minister, told SHAN the state government will provide for about 120,000 families during the Burmese water festival or Thingyan, as it’s locally called, which was cancelled to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi asked everyone to stay home during the New Year holidays from April 10-19. “At this time, it is very important for all the people to follow the rules and instructions to deter the spread of this disease,” she said in a televised speech.

To ensure social distancing measures are followed, the government is restricting public transport and gatherings have been outlawed.

Soe Nyunt Lwin said Taunggyi township will be the first to receive donations. Each family is entitled to a food package valued at 20,000 kyat (about US$15) that includes rice, cooking oil, salt, beans and onions provided by the COVID-19 Control and Emergency Response Committee.

Although the donations help to put some food on the table it falls short of what’s actually needed to feed many families that lost their entire income because of the lockdown during the Thingyan holiday.

There are only 27 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country but because testing for the virus has been low and the majority of the population doesn’t have access to basic healthcare or testing facilities many Burma observers and medical professionals believe the numbers are actually much higher.