Tens of thousands of Myanmar migrant workers remain trapped in China and Laos long after they lost their jobs when host countries shut down factories and businesses to fight the coronavirus pandemic, RFA reported.

More than 60,000 Myanmar workers are caught in the southwestern Chinese border towns of Ruili and nearby Jiegao, chafing under onerous medical examinations with no way to earn income to survive, the workers told RFA.

In Laos, where between 5,000 and 7,000 Myanmar laborers work in a special economic zone that serves mainly Chinese tourists, authorities are set to begin repatriating the migrants to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the report said.