Fifteen people in Myanmar have been identified as having contracted the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, the junta-controlled Ministry of Health said in a statement on August 31.

U Hla Thein, the information officer and attorney-general of the Arakan State military government, wrote on his Facebook page that the government is working to drop some cases filed under the Counter-Terrorism Law in Arakan State.

Schools suspended due to the third wave of Covid-19 are likely to be reopened in line with pandemic-related regulations, Arakan State education officer U Tin Thein told DMG.

Construction work on an oxygen plant in Ramree town, Arakan State, was suspended on Tuesday due to objections over use of the land on which the facility is located. 

U Hla Thein, the information officer and attorney-general of the Arakan State military government, wrote on his Facebook page on August 31 that the government is working to drop some cases filed under the Counter-Terrorism Law in Arakan State. 

As the killing and selling of turtles has been reported at markets in Mrauk-U town, Arakan State, authorities on August 30 warned over loudspeakers at the markets that those found to be illegally poaching turtles would be sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. 

Residents of Tinma village in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township, who fled their homes amid conflict in March 2020, say they will not be able to return home in October as was originally planned.

A food support plan for more than 200 households that have faced difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic in Darlat Chaung village-tract, Ann township, has been suspended indefinitely due to lack of permission, according to the Myittar Shin volunteer group. 

Lack of access to information, censorship and threats of legal action continue to pose challenges for journalists in Arakan State. 

A local philanthropic group is providing more than K10 million to over 200 families of people sentenced to prison in Arakan State after being charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law, or who went missing during clashes between the military and Arakan Army (AA).

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.

Authorities in Gwa Township, Arakan State, have arranged to take action against three people under the Natural Disaster Management Law for breaching a local stay-at-home order, an official of the Gwa Township General Administration Department (GAD) told DMG. 

Internally displaced people (IDPs) from Thet Kal Pyin Muslim IDP camp in Sittwe, Arakan State, began receiving the Covid-19 vaccine on Saturday, but media coverage of the inoculation campaign at the camp was prohibited, according to members of the press who went there to report. 

The driver of the truck fled but left his wife behind in the vehicle when authorities stopped them at the checkpoint.

The Gandaryi camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State’s Buthidaung Township has been under lockdown after a woman from the camp tested positive for Covid-19, with IDPs from the camp in need of rice and kitchen items.

Residents of Thaing Chaung village in Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Township are worried about a recent Tatmadaw troop deployment in the village, and some have fled to other areas, villagers said.

Members of a local charity group looking to provide food aid to more than 200 households in Darlat Chaung village-tract facing livelihood hardships amid the Covid-19 pandemic were not allowed to pass a military checkpoint in Arakan State’s Ann Township, according to the charity.

Covid-19 vaccines are to be provided for the residents of 15 displacement camps in Arakan State, starting at the Thet Kal Pyin Muslim camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sittwe Township on August 28, according to Arakan State’s Department of Medical Services. 

A Covid-19 call centre has been established in Sittwe for coronavirus patients in Arakan State, according to U Hla Thein, chair of the Arakan State military council’s information team.