Schools in Paletwa Tswp temporarily closed due to Covid-19 concerns

21 Jun 2021

DMG Newsroom
21 June 2021, Paletwa

U Min Lite, deputy township education officer from Paletwa Township, said they have temporarily closed all schools as the Ministry of Health and Sports has instructed to reduce the infection rate and avoid public gatherings in Paletwa, and will reopen schools in line with the ministry’s instruction; only when the number of infections declines.

“Schools were reopened on June 1, and had to be closed on June 9 as Covid-19 cases were detected. We don’t know when the schools will be reopened. It requires approval from the Ministry of Health and Sports to reopen the schools,” he said.

“Although schools have been closed, teachers are not allowed to go anywhere and have to stay in the villages where they have been assigned to be ready if schools are reopened. We feel very sorry for students as schools have been closed.”

U Min Lite added that although schools are temporarily closed currently, students will be taught on weekends to catch up on lessons when the schools are reopened.

In Paletwa town, as schools were temporarily closed last year due to an unstable situation and rising Covid-19 infections, parents are worried that prolonged school closures could happen again this year.

“I’m so worried that my children will be left behind. If schools are closed for a year, children will have to wait one more year. They become too lazy to go to school,” said one such parent, Daw Cho Cho. “If this year is skipped, children will be aggrieved. So, I hope schools will be reopened quickly.”

The total confirmed cases detected in Paletwa town of late has reached eight as seven cases were confirmed on June 9 and one more case was detected on June 20. The first seven Covid-19 patients have recovered and were discharged from hospital, said Dr. Soe Thet Win of Paletwa General Hospital.

“We detected a new case yesterday. The previous seven patients recovered and were discharged from hospital. The current patient has no symptoms and is just suffering from a runny nose, and is in good condition,” he said.

Because of the coronavirus-positive cases detected this month in Paletwa, entry and exit from the town has been restricted.