Government and CSOs join hands to meet needs of Sittwe quarantine centres

By Mrat Swe 26 Aug 2020

Mrat Swe | DMG
26 August, Sittwe

The Arakan State government and civil society organisations have agreed to cooperate to fulfill the needs of quarantine centres in Sittwe, said Ko Zaw Zaw Tun from the Arakan Humanitarian Coordination Team.

The parties discussed the situation of each quarantine centre in the Arakan State capital and the needs and challenges at those facilities during a meeting on August 26, Ko Zaw Zaw Tun said.

“During the coordination meeting held at the office of the district General Administration Department, we discussed helping each other when quarantine centres need something,” he said.

Twelve locations have been designated as quarantine centres as the number of coronavirus cases in Arakan State’s largest city has continued to climb since August 16.

Ten of the centres are currently holding people, Ko Zaw Zaw Tun said.

The Arakan Humanitarian Coordination Team has set up one of the centres at an old Sittwe University building, which will host 100 beds for quarantined individuals.

“We will provide financial aid to the quarantine centres opened by the government if we have more donations. We will help with food and required items such as dustbins,” Ko Zaw Zaw Tun said.

From August 16-26, a total of 179 cases were reported in Arakan State, with a majority of them, 114, in Sittwe Township.

The figures represent a dramatic spike in infections; prior to the recent outbreak, there had been just 16 coronavirus cases reported in all of Arakan State.