Meiktila – Htantaw Village in Meiktila Township has been placed on lockdown after 16 villagers are found infected with COVID-19 virus on November 24 and 25 and December 1, sources said.

“The village has over 70 houses and 468 people are living. Food will be provided under the arrangement of the township administrative body. It is also important to distribute food for animals. We will hold a meeting and decide how many days we can provide food for the village. We will choose pasture for the animals and place it on lockdown. It will be around 11-day lockdown. We will choose a villager who went outside mostly from each home and take a swab test on them,” said Kyaw Khaing, Yayway Village Tract Administrator.

In October, ten people including a household-administrator from Zone 8, Aungzeya Ward in Meiktila were found infected with the COVID-19 virus and the area was placed on lockdown. Pale market nearby was closed temporarily and the lockdown was eased on November 6.

A total of 170 COVID-19 patients including monks, healthcare staff, truck drivers, police force members and locals are admitted to Meiktila General Hospital from September 9 till now and 126 of them are allowed to be discharged from the hospital. One woman died from the virus, sources said.

Around 110 people, who came back from overseas and other regions and states and who had close contact with positive patients, are kept in quarantine at quarantine centers in Meiktila University, No.1 Basic Education High School and No.7 Basic Education High School.