Like other nations across the world, Myanmar has upped its quarantine requirements on travellers from countries with high rates of reported coronavirus cases.
All passengers travelling from Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Iran, China, and South Korea must go into mandatory quarantine for 14 days or return home if they arrived in the country unannounced, according to a statement from the health and sport ministry on Sunday.
Travellers who visited the United States over the past 14 days will be put under “surveillance,” said the ministry.
Myanmar has no confirmed cases of Covid-19—the disease caused by coronavirus. But many people are dubious about the claim amid bursts of panic buying, the cancellation of Thingyan, and the cessation of Suu Kyi handshakes.
Way back in January when the contagion first went global, a Myanmar politician shared a post offering onions as the way to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Two months later and, with the country yet to have detected a case (albeit with limited testing abilities), the government spokesman in state media on Friday tried to explain the situation.
The lifestyle and diet of Myanmar citizens are good for fending off the virus, he said.
“Human to human transmission is the leading contribution to the spread of the virus in Western countries. Myanmar does not share the customs of greeting with handshakes, hugs or kisses that these countries have,” he said.
“It also does not have a high number of credit card users compared to other nations, as the person handling credit cards at the counter would be in close contact with hundred of different people in a day. This is avoided by Myanmar’s predominant use of paper currency.”
