Myanmar’s government has given its strongest signs yet that it will lift a ban on international commercial flights imposed since March due to the pandemic.
Quoting the Department of Civil Aviation, news outlet The Voice said that regular international flights would resume on January 1, although travel rules, including visa requirements, are yet to be announced.
A letter from the Aung San Suu Kyi-led National-Level Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of Covid-19 to several ministries on December 11 also told officials to begin preparations for the date. Aung San Suu Kyi herself hinted as much in an address on Covid-19 measures the following day.
But in the topsy-turvy world of Covid-19 measures, most Yangonites have learned not to take indications for granted, even if they come from the government.
While officials on December 12 were announcing the resumption of domestic flights, they also extended Covid-19 restrictions until December 31, including the 12am to 4am curfew, mandatory facemasks and the ban on crowds. Stay-at-home orders also remain in place for most of Yangon Region, Mandalay city, Rakhine state and other pockets of the country.
When domestic flights resume on Wednesday, passengers from townships under stay-at-home orders (i.e. most of Yangon Region) will be subject to 14 days quarantine on arrival at their destination. That is, if you are allowed to board the plane. Passengers will also undergo rapid tests to detect the coronavirus, Myo Min Oo, assistant transport secretary told the BBC.
These tests can return results in minutes, but studies have cast doubt on their accuracy, especially compared to a slower, lab-based PCR test. Those who test positive for the virus will not be allowed to travel, but will have their tickets refunded, according to Myo Min Oo.
Myanmar’s Covid-19 case rate has slowly descended from the thousands reported every day two weeks ago, but the Health and Sports Ministry did report 67 deaths and 3,855 new cases from 63,592 tests over the weekend.
Update: The Ministry of Health and Sports have since released guidelines stating that passengers on domestic airlines must be tested 36 hours before the flight at a private clinic or hospital, and present a certificate showing a negative result before boarding.
