By Hseng Leng/SHAN

Responding to an uptick in transmissions in Tachileik, health authorities ordered markets and grocery stores to close after 10 a.m. daily. All restaurants have been closed since November 28.

“No mid-day and night markets are allowed in Tachileik because of the increasing cases of COVID-19,” Khin Maung Tint, an MP for Tachileik Township, told SHAN.

Authorities suspect an infected hotel employee may have been the cause of a major outbreak that spread among market vendors about a week ago in the border town in southern Shan State.

As of December 8, there were 74 cases detected in Tachileik. Ten cases were reported on this day, including a one-month-old baby infected with the virus.

Medical staff and volunteers are urging everyone to follow COVID-19 health guidelines set by the Ministry of Health and Sports (MoHS) to reduce the spread of infection.

Vendor Nang Hom told SHAN business was slow a few days ago, but things are starting to pick up. “People need nutritious food; we all need to stay healthy.”

According to data provided by MoHS, there were 104,487 cases detected in Burma by December 10, while 82,813 have recovered and 2,201 died from the disease.