Kachin State parliamentarians will need to quarantine for one week before attending an upcoming session in parliament. Tun Tin, the speaker for Kachin State Parliament, told KNG all the MPs from the 18 townships that are joining the proceedings on May 18 are required to follow the new policy.

“We don’t know who’s carrying the virus and we need to protect all of our parliamentarians,” he said. The same measures are being applied for the People’s Parliament and the National Parliament, Tun Tin explained.

The Kachin MPs will be required to quarantine at the official Kachin State Parliament guesthouse from May 10-17. During the week, their food will be delivered.

During the 19th parliamentary session, discussions will be about 2020-21 budget, Tun Tin said. There won’t be a question period, he said.

“Parliamentarians will mainly discuss the budget. We’ll incorporate a question and answer section into our next session, and only take a few select questions during the upcoming meeting.”

Hkaw Mar Wu, a parliamentarian for Hsawlaw township, told KNG she plans to arrive in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, by May 9.

“Even though COVID-19 is spreading we still need to attend the parliamentary session. If parliament doesn’t approve the budget the entire Kachin State administration will come to a stop,” she said.

This year’s session of parliament is only expected to run for three days, according to sources that spoke to KNG.