The risk of large-scale community spread of the COVID-19 virus is extremely high in Rakhine State, where tens of thousands of people are displaced as a result of conflict, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya are confined in camps and villages and the government has imposed an internet blackout.
Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK reiterated international calls for the blackout to be lifted.
“The internet shutdown, designed to cover up human rights violations, will now mean more people die as they will not be able to access life-saving information about how to avoid catching and spreading the virus,” he told Devex.