The President Office issued a statement March 13 which says that a COVID-19 national-level central committee for preventing and containing the virus has been set up and will be led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
The COVID-19 central committee has 22 members including the State Counsellor and other members are union cabinet ministers and permanent secretaries of the Union Government Office.
The press statement further says that this central committee will work for prevention and containment of severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19 virus, monitoring quarantined patients and suspect cases, providing educational awareness to the public and travellers on this virus, disseminating news on this virus, prevention, monitoring and cure of this disease and supervising the work in this regard and for the importing of required medical equipment in time.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. The Committee for Preventing, Containing and Treating Pneumonia caused by COVID-19 virus was constituted on January 30 in Myanmar and then it was reconstituted in an upgraded level as a national-level central committee led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on March 13.
As a sub-committee of this national-level COVID-19 central committee, the Working Committee for Remedial Works on Economic Impacts of this virus was also set up.
The functions of this working committee are drawing plans for long term and short term remedies, emergency plans for the declining tourism industry, creating job opportunities for workers who are either fired of laid off from their factories, acquiring raw materials, diversifying the sources for acquiring raw materials rather than relying on China only and other work.
And also President Office issued another press statement dated March 13 which says that public events and festivals including the forthcoming Thingyan water festival which will draw huge crowds will be banned from March 13 to the end of April as this COVID-19 virus can transmit and spread easily and rapidly in such public events large crowds. The press statement further says that the period for banning such public events with large crowds may be extended as and when required.
The Ministry of Health and Sports urged people to follow the Dos and Don’ts issued by the ministry, to have trust and rely only on the reliable and credible news reports.
The ministry also said that so far there were no confirmed positive cases in Myanmar.
