Social gatherings, covert card playing cited as indicative of weak adherence to virus rules among some

By DMG 07 Aug 2021

DMG Newsroom
7 August 2021, Sittwe 

Despite a Covid-19 death toll that increases daily in Arakan State, some people’s adherence to virus preventive regulations remains weak, said Daw Saw San Nyein Thu, chair of the Rakhine Women’s Initiative Organisation. 

According to figures from the Arakan State Department of Public Health, during the pandemic’s ongoing third wave, the number of Covid-19 cases statewide had reached 3,154 as of August 6, with the death toll rising to 265. 

“We alert and urge the public to follow Covid-19 preventive regulations and to care for themselves so as not to be infected with Covid-19. But we’ve found that the people’s adherence to the regulations remains weak. So, the infection rate is higher and faster among the public,” Daw Saw San Nyein Thu told DMG. 

In an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19, the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) first announced a stay-at-home period in Arakan State from July 20 to August 4, and subsequently extended it from August 5 to August 18. It issued a set of 24 rules to be followed by the public as part of that effort. 

Following the order, most people have followed the pandemic prevention regulations, said the spokesperson for the All Arakanese Solidarity Committee, U Khin Maung Gyi, who nonetheless echoed Daw Saw San Nyein Thu’s assertion that non-compliance remains a concern among a subsection of the public. 

“People are sitting around in groups in many wards. Some people in groups are playing cards at secluded sites,” U Khin Maung Gyi said. 

The combined Arakan State death toll during the first and second waves of Covid-19 was 37, with the third-wave fatalities increasing by a factor of more than seven to date.  

“More than 40 new cases were detected yesterday. And nine patients died,” said Dr. Soe Win Paing, assistant director of Arakan State Department of Public Health. “The infection rate and death toll are increasing during the third wave. So, people need to be careful not to be infected with Covid-19.” 

Nationwide, 3,588 new cases of Covid-19 were reported and 274 people died of the virus on Friday alone, according to the Ministry of Health.