Myanmar Police Station in Lockdown After Chief Fails COVID-19 Test

By Min Aung Khine 31 August 2020

Sittwe, Rakhine State — A police station in Rakhine State’s capital, Sittwe, has been placed under lockdown since Aug. 27 after its chief officer was infected with coronavirus.

He was one of the seven officers from across Rakhine State who arrived in Mandalay on Aug. 17 to attend a training session. The seven were tested for coronavirus and the 40-year-old tested positive.

“When he went to Mandalay for training, he tested positive for COVID-19. So the entire police station was placed under lockdown,” the military-appointed Rakhine State minister for security and border affairs, Colonel Min Than, told The Irrawaddy.

No.2 Police Station is being kept under quarantine and its officers will be tested for coronavirus. No.1 Police Station will be covering its workload.

“We have informed the public to file complaints with No.1 Police Station and it will take care of cases,” a Rakhine State officer told The Irrawaddy.

COVID-19 cases have been rising in Sittwe. During Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s online discussions with Rakhine State chief minister U Nyi Pu and those on the COVID-19 frontline, the State Counselor guaranteed food supplies to areas where the Ministry of Health and Sports has issued stay-at-home orders.

So far 17 quarantine centers have been opened in Sittwe and more than 400 people are being kept in quarantine. As of Monday morning, Myanmar has reported 787 COVID-19 cases, with Rakhine experiencing the largest outbreak. There have been 184 cases in Sittwe alone.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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