The Chin State government doesn’t plan to halt bus operations, social welfare minister Pau Lum Min Thang has said, even though COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Burma.
He noted that the routes still operating are fewer than before.
“The number of buses which come from central Burma to Chin State has gradually decreased. There is no bus operation between Hakha and other regions. Therefore, we do not need to stop bus operations in Chin State,” he told Khonumthung News.
“If bus operations are stopped in central Burma, bus operations will be automatically stopped in Chin State… [But] we have no plans to shut down bus operations in Chin State,” he added.
Pau Lum Min Thang said that medical checks will continue to be required of passengers, who also must present letters from the local authorities in their area describing their health and declaring them fit to travel.
“If they don’t have a recommendation letter, we won’t allow them to enter Chin State,” the state’s social welfare minister explained. “If travelers come from Rakhine State, they must stay in a quarantine facility.”
For those coming from other states and regions, whether they are required to quarantine depends on what their letter states, he added.
A total of 220 people are currently quarantining either in their homes or in designated facilities in Chin State.
At the time of reporting, there were two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Chin State. The patients are being treated at a hospital in Tedim.
Burma’s Ministry of Health and Sports reported 3,299 cases of COVID-19 as of September 15. There have been 790 recoveries and 32 deaths.