Mingalaba! Hello!
In November Myanmar transitioned from the rainy season to the dry season. Many people think that Southeast Asia is hot all year round, but where we work in Sagaing is very cool in the dry season and even cold in December.
I think everyone who has come as a short-term volunteer was surprised by the cold weather. I spent the night without using a fan for the first time in a long time today and I felt that it has been getting cooler and cooler. I wonder how cold it has been in Japan?
Currently, in Myanmar, the second wave of coronavirus infections from August has not yet subsided and more than 1,000 new infections are confirmed every day.
Domestically, people are being urged to stay home and I also feel that there are fewer people walking around outside in Watchet Village than usual. It seems that there are many people who have lost income or their jobs because of the various regulations, such as restaurants only being open for takeout.
Additionally, children, whose new semester was supposed to start in June, are not able to attend school. The effects of Covid-19 are not limited to the disease itself and there are many effects on the economy, children and those who are fighting other diseases.
In Myanmar, government hospitals are accepting Covid-19 patients. In the capital Yangon, the number of people infected has been confirmed to be the highest in the country. As a countermeasure, a temporary hospital has been set up to accept Covid-19 patients in order to respond to the increasing number of people infected every day.
Japan Heart visited the host hospital, South Okkalapa Women and Children Hospital in Yangon to donate N95 masks. Additionally, we contact patients who are regularly examined by telephone for follow-ups.
In this uncertain situation, it is depressing, but let’s do our best for the people working hard all over the world such as in Japan, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos! I have no choice but to do what I can do now and I will continue to do my best!
Madoka Kato