Myanmar Government and local businesses are lend hand to those in need in Myanmar during virus outbreak

The Myanmar government and local businesses are providing assistance and donating to those in need during the COVID-19 outbreak.

While it has so far infected 22 people in the country, the economic  consequences of the virus has been swift and unforgiving, with more than 10,000 minimum wage workers rendered jobless and a rising number of businesses forced to shut down.

To provide some relief, the National-level Central Committee on Prevention, Control, and Treatment of COVID-19 on April 6 announced that it would distribute five essential food items to working class households which do not have daily income during the long Thingyan period.

One family would get eight pyi of rice, 50 kyattha of cooking oil, 50 kyattha of salt, one viss of pulses and one viss of onions.

In order to make sure there are no delays, waste, or malpractices in distributing the food items, the regional and state governments will be supervising the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, community elders, civil organisations, and youth charity groups, which will be responsible for packing, transporting, and distributing the items.

In addition, the government will be exempting citizens, religious organisations, and civil groups (excluding embassies, UN agencies, and international organisations) in the country from utilising up to 150 units of electricity until the end of April.

For businesses affected most by the coronavirus, the Myanmar Investment Commission announced on March 29 a K100 billion fund to help business owners. Funds will be disbursed via loans at low interest rate. The application for the loans must be submitted by April 9 and so far, some 400 businesses have applied. 

Private businesses are also doing their part by donating medical equipment and disinfectants to the needy. 

Myanmar Brewery Limited and its partners on April 5 donated K116 million worth of hospital equipment, including ventilators, patient monitoring devices, and oxygen concentrators to the National-level Central Committee and the health ministry.

Kanbawza Bank has donated more than K1.4 billion worth of hospital equipment and supplies, including surgical masks, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suits, medical gloves, and hand sanitisers to the health ministry, which will channel the goods to public hospitals.

The United Nations Office for Project Services, via the multi-donor funded Access to Health Fund, will also provide 50,000 sets of coveralls to the health ministry which will be distributed to the frontline healthcare workers in the regions and states.

The UN’s multi-donor fund is in the process of transporting PPE items such as nitrile, surgical gloves, N95 masks and surgical masks.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an April 3 statement to foreign embassies said that aside from medical equipment and supplies, the Health Ministry needs more COVID-19 test kits to boost its surveillance capacity in monitoring persons suspected of suffering from the virus.

“The ministry would highly appreciate it if the diplomatic and consular missions, and the offices of the United Nations, its specialised agencies and international organisations in Myanmar could kindly mobilize donors in providing necessary medical equipment and supplies to Myanmar,” the statement said.

(The Myanmar Times: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/govts-businesses-intl-agencies-lend-hand-those-need-myanmar-during-virus-outbreak.html )

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