Police swooped on a nightclub in Yangon early on Saturday (November 7) morning and arrested more than 80 people, including foreigners, for breaking Covid-19 rules, according to a local MP.
Police raided Myst Bar and Lounge in Bahan township at 2am where a crowd of people were reportedly found drinking and dancing to music—a gathering that violates Yangon’s stay-at-home orders.
Among those detained were nightclub staff, foreigners and the children of high-ranking Tatmadaw officials, according to Bahan’s Lower House MP Tun Myint, who told news outlet Mizzima that they had been charged under the Natural Disaster Management Law. Police did not disclose the nationalities and number of foreigners arrested.
The nightclub owner and the manager both face up to three years in jail and a fine for negligence under section 25, while the others face up to a year in jail and a fine for breaching government instructions under section 30, reported the outlet.
Tun Myint told Myanmar Mix that a total of 83 people were arrested and that 81 were released on bail this evening. The nightclub management was unavailable for comment.
Yangon’s regional government ordered bars and nightclubs to close again in August after a brief respite as Covid-19 cases began to soar in the city. In a video conference with government officials on September 2, Aung San Suu Kyi said nightclub owners operating in violation of the rules were “reckless and unsympathetic,” adding they “need to face severe repercussions.”
Though the measures remain in place and cases continue to rise—albeit at a slower pace than previous weeks—there are reports of some bars quietly welcoming customers again, as well as other businesses such as nail salons and barbershops. Yangon’s streets are busy once more and public spaces are becoming crowded in a sign that semi-lockdown fatigue is settling in.
This story will be updated as more information comes in.
