Mandalay – The Chin State government has imposed a further week of lockdown on Keptel village in Tedim Township, where one of the country’s first COVID19 cases was confirmed. Tedim has confirmed five cases.
Keptel has been under quarantine since March 23 after a 36-year-old bridegroom returned from the United States and attended a prayer service ahead of his wedding.
The man has tested positive six times since March 21 and all five other positive cases had contact with him.
“One more confirmed case in Tedim on April 20 is a man from Tedim who had contact with him [the bridegroom]. There was a gathering in Keptel with the first confirmed case so we decided to increase the lockdown period for the village,” said U Soe Htet, Chin State’s municipal minister.
The minister said rice and other commodities were sent to the village on Tuesday.
“The bridegroom is still in isolation in Tedim hospital. He is in good health. His mother and three others who had contact with him are also there and they are also in good health,” U Soe Htet said.
The area in Tedim around his mother’s house is also in lockdown. The opening hours of the town’s market have been limited.
“We are afraid that we will not be able to handle large numbers of patients effectively as we have limited numbers of medics, beds and equipment if there is an outbreak,” U Soe Htet added.
The minister said about 60 people in Tedim are under home quarantine and over 50 are being held at a quarantine center in a Tedim high school.
Meanwhile, in Kale Township, Sagaing Region, which borders Tedim Township, there are six confirmed cases related to the Chin bridegroom.
The patients are in a stable condition under surveillance at Kale General Hospital.
According to the Ministry of Health and Sports, Myanmar has 127 confirmed COVID-19 cases with five deaths and nine recoveries.
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