Yangon – Myanmar has reported no fresh COVID-19 transmissions within the country for 10 days since May 18, despite 22 imported cases from other countries.
On May 17, Myanmar reported its last transmission with a 57-year-old man from Yangon’s Mayangone Township who had not left the country and no recorded contact with a known COVID-19 patient.
However, returning nationals have imported coronavirus cases after no new cases were reported from May 14 to 15.
Between May 16 and May 26, Myanmar reported 25 imported COVID-19 cases in those who returned home from Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, India and Italy.
Myanmar has arranged repatriation flights for those stranded abroad by flight suspensions and lockdowns since April 30.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 2,200 nationals in countries including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the UAE, UK and US arrived in Myanmar by May 22.
By Wednesday, Myanmar had 206 COVID-19 cases, of which 48 cases were imported cases from other countries, according to the health ministry. The ministry said it had conducted 21,593 COVID-19 tests by Wednesday morning, with six deaths and 124 recoveries. It said as of Sunday, 55,616 people had been held in quarantine centers across the country.
Since May 11, the authorities conducted COVID-19 tests on all nationals returning with repatriation flights, health ministry’s spokesman Dr. Than Naing Soe told The Irrawaddy last week.
He said all returnees from Thailand had been tested since May 23.
U Tay Zar Aung, Karen State’s Myawaddy district administrator, told The Irrawaddy that returnees from Thailand have been tested in Myawaddy and remain in quarantine centers to wait for the test result.
Returnees from Yangon, Mandalay, Bago and Magway regions and Mon State are sent on for COVID-19 tests and quarantine for 21 days nearer their homes.
U Tay Zar Aung said swab samples from 583 returnees, which were taken from May 23 to 25, tested COVID-19 negative.
After Thailand allowed migrants to return home, 4,393 migrants arrived back in Myanmar from May 23 to May 26 through the Mae Sot-Myawaddy border. Hundreds also returned through the Ranong-Kawthaung gate into Tanintharyi Region in southern Myanmar.
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