As Myanmar confirmed its 16th case of coronavirus today, Aung San Suu Kyi reluctantly returned to her personal Facebook account in order to address the pandemic.
The latest patient is a 63-year-old diabetic Myanmar woman who lives with her son in Yangon’s North Okkalapa township, said the health ministry.
The announcement stated she welcomed her son back from Dubai on March 15 and then developed a fever and fatigue before being taken to North Okkalapa hospital on March 31.
The patient—who is being transferred to Waibargyi hospital—is the third confirmation of a locally transmitted case. The ministry did not mention whether the son had been tested for the virus.
Fears of an outbreak intensified in Myanmar last week as tens of thousands of migrant workers returned from Thailand and dispersed across the country.
Aung San Suu Kyi advised in a televised address yesterday that people should stay at home if possible. She added that food and medicine would be available in the event of community quarantine.
Facebook is one of the most popular means of communication in Myanmar, which perhaps influenced her decision to use her personal Facebook account for the first time since registering her appointment as State Counsellor in April 2016.
“I had no desire to join Facebook at first. But I have decided to use it in order to communicate with people quickly and more efficiently on the challenges of Covid-19,” the leader wrote this afternoon in a post that so far has 317,000 reactions.
Yesterday evening the account was updated with a tranquil image of spindly trees and a blue sky reflected in water.
Government spokesperson confirmed its authenticity in a post from his account.
The State Counsellor’s office and the foreign ministry—both headed by Aung San Suu Kyi—also have official Facebook accounts.
