"I've been waiting since morning. It still isn't my turn," said a middle-aged man queuing at an ATM.

There were people across many age groups in the queue. Some brought stools and plastic chairs for rest as time passed by. 

"The waiting is too long and I can't stand for that long. That's why I brought a chair," said a frustrated woman in her 50s.

The average wait time for an ATM cash withdrawal with one card is at least two minutes. At this speed, it takes at least over an hour and a half to serve 50 people. 

"There are problems. People will bring two, three cards and they will withdraw from them so we have to step in so that the people behind will get their fair turn," said a bank staff.

A hot day can bring queuing bank customers close to a faint. And there is also a threat of Covid-19 inflection as well. 

"There is no way for people to distance themselves. They are afraid that people will cut the line and they don't want to spark an argument if such occurs. So when we queue, we cannot be too far from each other," said another person in the queue.

"If you are asking me if I'm afraid (of Covid-19) then yes of course I'm afraid. But afraid or not, I have to queue," he said.

While the people in the queue suffers, street vendors that go around selling cooled bottled water and snacks had spotted an opportunity.

"Since many people started queuing since morning, I have been selling more than usual,” said one vendor.

But anxiety reigns.  "It's like having to kowtow to get our money back. As easy as it was before, it is extremely difficult with many obstacles now. The situation is as you can see, a sea of people. There is no way to predict when I will be able to withdraw my money," said another person way back in the queue.

As banks have specifically announced certain ATMs that they will regularly refill, those spots by far take the longest amount of time but run the least risk of running out of money when it gets to your turn.

"I've experienced it twice. There's like only four people ahead of me and the money ran out. More time was wasted having to wait for the cash refill," said a 25-years old man.

A bank staff member says that even though ATM locations are limited, they are trying to supply all machines with money.

While it wasn't so apparent in February, it became obvious since March that queuing for withdrawing cash would swell. The banks themselves had to subsequently impose a limit on daily withdrawals.

As of April 3, private banks announced which ATMs they will be fully supporting for cash withdrawals. KBZ Bank,  with the highest number of branches in Myanmar, announced that there are 300 locations that people can withdraw cash from.

The daily limit for each bank is also different; KBZ is 200,000 Kyat Yoma is 300,000 , AGD is at 150,000 and CB 300,000.

Why the need for cash?

While the queues at ATMs were already sizable enough before March, they were noticeably more crowded at the end of March.

"I come to withdraw because I need cash in my hands. Nothing else is more certain," said a customer.

Some also say that they need cash to buy goods easily.

"It used to be that only if I needed cash, I would go and withdraw it. If I'm going to go grocery shopping, I will just withdraw from an ATM because I didn't want to keep cash in my hands. This is the reverse because in some places, you cannot use cards. So to keep cash in hand is the best choice right now and so here I am," said a person from the queue in front of an ATM in Kyimyindaing Township.

On April 29, the Central Bank announced that some private banks are allowed to resume their online banking services through mobile internet service. Those banks are AYA, KBZ, Inwa, CB and Ayeyarwady Farmers Development Bank. The online banking services are allowing Account to Account Transfer, Wallet to Wallet, Bank to Wallet, Wallet to Bank, CBM Net, CCT Function through Mobile Banking, Internet Banking, Mobile Top-up, Other Cards Top-up, Bill Payments, Visa, Master, Credit Card Payments, MPU Cards, ALL ATMs, Bank Pays and so on.

However, the move did not diminish the ATM lines.

"Something has to be paid only in cash. Only cash will help with that. I'm withdrawing because of that," said a woman queuing up at an ATM in Kyimyindaing Township.

Time will only tell if the Central Bank's efforts and statements will ease the people's worries and erase the ATM lines but for now, the snaking-long queues are set to continue.

For the young lady that has been queuing since early morning, there already were at least 30 people in front of her. It will likely take the better half of a day for her to finally reach the machine.

"I need cash. Nothing else. Cash in my hands gives me more sense of security," she said