Three weeks ago government officials hinted at the lifting of domestic travel restrictions, stirring hopes of Christmas getaways for Yangonites.
Now the government has backtracked so hard on the idea that the debate has settled on not whether people can travel to the beach or mountains, but whether they can sit in their local park.
The Yangon City Development Committee has given the green light to parks opening from 5am to 6pm, according to an official quoted in The Voice today. Some popular parks that usually close later such as Kandawgyi will also fall under the same rule.
Maha Bandula Park, however, will remain closed. Gates at the downtown spot were locked on December 7 after photos circulated on social media showing large crowds at the park drew criticism from some users.
Covid-19 cases continue to be recorded daily around Myanmar, and though most have been concentrated in Yangon, senior government officials are wrestling with a lighter approach to restrictions.
The Minister for Health and Sports Myint Htwe asked the Yangon Region government to more strictly enforce Covid-19 restrictions, which include stay-at-home orders and a ban on dine-in services.
In response, Yangon Region Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein—whose colleague, the city mayor Maung Maung Soe, was hospitalised with Covid-19 on December 8—highlighted the financial ruin wrought by the measures.
Poverty in Myanmar has risen dramatically during the coronavirus second wave, according to a survey by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
"Though necessary to control the virus, lockdown periods have resulted in disastrous impacts on poverty and need to be accompanied by larger and better targeted cash transfers if Myanmar is to successfully contain the economic destruction of COVID-19's second wave,” said lead author of the study, Derek Headey.
