Stay-at-home order imposed in Paletwa

By DMG 28 Aug 2021

DMG Newsroom
28 August 2021, Paletwa

Locals in Chin State’s Paletwa Township have been restricted from leaving their homes after 11 a.m. due to a recent increase in the number of people infected with Covid-19.

Only one person per household is allowed to leave the home from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and outside of that time period locals are allowed out only for health reasons, with a letter of recommendation signed by their local ward administrator, said a police official from Paletwa Township police station.

“The number of people infected with the Covid-19 virus is less than a day or two ago, but the number of people infected with the virus has risen due to the public’s lack of discipline,” said the police official. “This is the reason why the stay-at-home order was imposed in downtown Paletwa.”

If locals do not follow the Covid-19 rules, they will be fined K1,000.

Two IDP camps in Paletwa Township were locked down on August 27 after some displaced people were infected with the virus, according to camp officials.

“Two IDP camps were locked down after three displaced people from the camps were found to have been diagnosed with Covid-19. It is difficult for the IDPs to go outside. The IDPs have only rice and no money to buy anything else. We have to stay for 14 days inside the camp, without going out, so we have to eat only one meal [daily],” one camp official said.

U Aung Win Soe, the administrator of Ywama ward in Paletwa, said the stay-at-home order in Paletwa could lead to shortages and higher commodity prices.

“The grassroots will likely face more hardships due to the travel restrictions,” he said.

Local authorities, including police, are conducting field inspections in the suburbs starting this weekend to see if the public is complying with the Covid-19 rules.

As of August 27, a total of 420 people had been infected with Covid-19 in Paletwa during the pandemic’s ongoing third wave, with four deaths and 365 people discharged from the hospital, according to the township’s Department of Public Health.