A number of Yangon鈥檚 nightlife proprietors have quietly vowed to remain open despite a new order that all bars, clubs and karaoke venues nationwide close again in the face of rising coronavirus cases, including those involving local transmission.
Framed as a precautionary measure, the order from the Disease Control Unit in Yangon is effective immediately. Naing Ngan Lin, chairman of the unit鈥檚 Central Committee, warned that businesses which flout the order will be shut down.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 really give an order to reopen all the businesses although bars and clubs from Yangon and Mandalay regions do now,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e also warned them how we can take action about it. We will take it seriously from now on.鈥
Lowering the Bar: Cheeky Yangon pub owners defy shutdown order with this one stupid trick
But that hasn鈥檛 deterred some owners from saying they will stay open regardless.
鈥淚 wont close until they come and make me,鈥 one wrote in an online forum.
Although the order was dated this past weekend, it wasn鈥檛 publicized and bars and nightclubs in Yangon have remained open through today. One bar manager who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal said his business and patrons are paying the price for something they didn’t do.
鈥淭his is so frustrating. It is because of traveling, not drinking a beer at a bar,鈥 he said. 鈥淚f they are ordering us to close our businesses again, they should do the same to buses and travelers abroad.鈥
The Ministry of Health also reported 15 new cases last night; 14 quarantined returnees from India and 1 from the Philippines. More worrying, two family members of case No. 375 also reported positive for the virus, and fears became more intense when it was revealed that the woman鈥檚 mother, case No. 378, traveled to Yangon for a hospital visit. At least 15 individuals who came into contact with her were last night.
Streets where the family live in Sittwe city, the capital of Rakhine state, have .
The entire capital was later placed on lockdown amid a surge of new cases, with 33 new cases, mostly in Sittwe, reported Friday morning, making for a total of 409 infections since the pandemic was first detected in March.
That鈥檚 where bank employee Ye Ye Win, who was diagnosed Sunday with COVID-19, lived with her family.
Additional travel restrictions are in place as well. Travelers coming to Yangon from Sittwe will be quarantined 21 days and tested twice, according to .
Update: This story has been updated with additional information on new COVID-19 cases.
Related
Fear COVID-19 backslide grips Myanmar after new domestic case reported
