27 Aug
ON Wednesday night, the Ministry of Health and Sports finally announced what many of us expected: imposing Stay-At-Home order on all townships in Rakkhine State.
The order takes effect at 8 am today.
Rakhine State has seen a surge in Coronavirus infection cases in a short period, compared with other parts of the country..
In its announcement, the Ministry of Health and Sports said that it issued the order to effectively contain the spread of the infectious disease.
The need for this move is not in doubt. The coronavirus is infecting more people every day in the Rakhine State. Rakhine State is expected to see more infections, which also means more hospitalizations.
The only way to reverse the increase in infections is with drastic stay-at-home orders which, like this one, should also become more prevalent across the country.
According to the order, people included in the Stay at Home programme in all townships in Rakhine State must abide by the health guidelines and rules released by the Ministry of Health and Sports.
In some cases in other regions and states, those who travelled to Sittway and other areas in Rakhine State are found to have been infected with the virus.
Experiences like this are probably going to be common amidst COVID-19 because this is the way the virus has behaved all over the country.
Hence, those who travelled to Rakhine State have a responsibility as a good citizen to inform the authorities and to receive medical check-up for the virus infection even if they have no symptoms.
Because someone could be infected without showing any symptoms for several days, they could be unknowingly infecting other people … who in turn could spread the disease to others.
Incidents like this reinforce the need for the rest of us to do all we can to prevent the spread of the virus. Covid-19 is going to be with us for a long time to come, so we must continue washing our hands, sanitizing, wearing our masks, social distancing, avoiding crowded places like funerals, weddings, clubs and other places.
This disease will not magically disappear. It will only recede when it is not transmitted to so many new victims. For the sake of our family members, and everything else we hold dear, let’s all try to do what this order says: stay at home.
