LJM's Maha Kusala Yama Monastery at Naung Mon fending off Pandemic by practicing Hygiene/Healthcare

With casualties of the COVID-19 still on the rise around the world, the Maha Kusala Yama Monastery of Ling Jiou Mountain(LJM) at Naung Mon in Myanmar mobilized by end of January its 400 Buddhist teachers and sramanera pupils to protect themselves against the pandemic. The priority was to promote and instill the proper practice of hygiene in daily life.

The Monastery's chief executive, Master Heng Ming, pointed out that when the news broke on January 27 and the school administration learned about the case(s) of suspected coronavirus infection on the Chinese-Burmese borders, emergency meetings were called to map out a series of measures to counteract the eminent novel virus.

Said measures include stockpiling on masks, medical alcohol, and bleach for disinfection spray. Bhikkhus and personnel who commute daily are checked for body temperature and sprayed on before entering the campus. No visitors except parents and sponsors with prior appointment. Visitors have limited access to the campus during visitations. All sramanera pupils, as well as employees who run daily chores off-campus, must have their body temperatures taken every day. Any contact with known patients shall be reported the soonest. The school administration has also stockpiled on a full month’s supplies of food and daily necessities, as well as space for individual quarantine in the case of an eventual lockdown.

Master Heng Ming: the Monastery has since long been practicing what it preaches when it comes to good sanitation and proper hygiene to instill the awareness and the actual practice in the sramanera pupils. Hand washing makes a good example as the case in point. The teachers explain why it is important and demonstrate how it is done properly. Or take a proper manicure for another example: fingernails are checked every morning for cleanliness. Furthermore, there is a weekly class on basic first aid to familiarize the pupils with the common use of iodine, cotton balls, Q-tips, etc.

The Maha Kusala Yama Monastery of Ling Jiou Mountain at Naung Mon finds itself in a remote region, yet the school administration keeps itself abreast with updates on the COVID-19 and school teachers offer a daily summary on international updates and share this via its routine daily meeting at the nursing station to make sure that the nursing team and the bhikkhus remain acutely aware of the situation and its implications. Copies of key statistics and charts are circulated to heighten the level of awareness pan-campus with the understanding that it falls upon every individual to fend off the virus and its spread.

Amidst a still unfolding pandemic, the school has announced the cancellations of its short-term camp for the Chinese language in March and in May. Master Heng Ming said that the combat still forges on and the school is now getting its act together in planning for the reception of all sramanera pupils upon their return after their homestay following the school break at the end of March. The overall considerations include teaching pupils to make masks the DIY way. The fight against the virus has been from Day 1 a collective effort on the part of the monastery in unison. As a whole and in one voice, they pray that the novel virus be contained the soonest for everyone to return to normalcy.

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