• Burmese
Saturday, July 12, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
25 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home Specials Myanmar & COVID-19

Yangon Makes Wearing Face Masks Mandatory; Legal Action Awaits Violators

Nan Lwin by Nan Lwin
May 12, 2020
in Myanmar & COVID-19
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Factory workers in Yangon's Hlaing Thayar Industrial Zone wear face masks. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

Factory workers in Yangon's Hlaing Thayar Industrial Zone wear face masks. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

7.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

YANGON—In the latest move to curb the spread of COVID-19, authorities in Myanmar’s commercial hub of Yangon have warned residents that failing to wear a face mask while outside their home could result in legal action ranging from fines to a jail term of up to six months.

As of Tuesday morning, Myanmar had reported a total of 180 COVID-19 cases including six deaths. Yangon has been by far the hardest-hit region of Myanmar, with 145 patients.

The Yangon regional Coronavirus Disease 2019 Control and Response Committee announced on Monday that the new mandatory order to wear face coverings would take effect in all 44 townships in the region on Wednesday.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar’s Domestic Tourists Return but Foreigners Stay Away

Myanmar’s Domestic Tourists Return but Foreigners Stay Away

March 16, 2023
4k
Uncertainty Looms Over Myanmar Economy: World Bank

Uncertainty Looms Over Myanmar Economy: World Bank

February 10, 2023
7.7k
Myanmar’s Art Market Flooded With Forgeries

Myanmar’s Art Market Flooded With Forgeries

February 8, 2023
4.8k

Those breaching the committee’s orders and instructions will face legal action under the Prevention and Control of Communicable Disease Law. Citizens must follow the rules until further notice issue, the committee said.

According to the law, residents who violate restrictions imposed by either health authorities or local administrators will have to pay a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 kyats (US$3.60 to $36) or face a six-month jail term, depending on the decision of the court.

Apart from wearing face masks, the  latest order includes a ban on gatherings of more than four people, except for those carrying out official duties at government departments and organizations; those traveling to and from work at companies, factories and workshops; those transporting permitted commodities; court proceedings; those implementing permitted measures against COVID-19; those engaged in emergency rescue operations; those going to hospitals and clinics for health reasons; and those arranging funerals.

Yangon Regional Social Affairs Minister U Naing Ngan Lin told The Irrawaddy the order is a precautionary measure to prevent the further spread of the disease as more businesses and factories start resuming normal operations in Yangon.

When the rate of new COVID-19 cases slowed significantly in late April, many people started resuming normal activities and some businesses also started resuming operations. Many people stopped wearing masks in public and began to break social distancing rules, including by gathering in groups of more than five people. However, Myanmar reported 14 new cases last Thursday in the biggest single-day spike since mid-April, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS).

Other regions like Mandalay and Ayeyarwady have also issued local administrative orders to wear face masks or face fines.

In a previous order, Yangon residents were told to avoid entertaining guests at home as much as possible, to report to the relevant authorities if they have returned from a foreign country recently, and to report any suspected COVID-19 patients in their area or if they suspect they themselves may be carrying the disease.

During the Water Festival holiday period, Yangon residents were told to observe a strict 10-day “stay home” period from April 10 to April 19, except those involved in COVID-19 prevention, control and treatment activities. The MOHS also announced a conditional stay-at-home order covering seven Yangon townships where the most cases have been reported: Insein, Shwephyithar, Mayangone, Bahan, Pabedan, South Okkalapa and Hlaing Tharyar.

You may also like these stories:

China Pushes BRI Projects As Myanmar Rolls Out COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan

Myanmar Confirms 10 New COVID-19 Cases After Two-Day Reprieve

Myanmar Launches Sweeping COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan

Your Thoughts …
Tags: casescoronavirusCOVID-19face masksinfectionorderprecautionaryPrevention and Control of Communicable Disease Lawpreventive measuressocial distancingYangon regional government
Nan Lwin

Nan Lwin

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Myanmar Regime Charges Top Tycoon With Corruption
Burma

Myanmar Regime Charges Top Tycoon With Corruption

by The Irrawaddy
April 27, 2022
7.5k

Many suspect U Chit Khine’s arrest is due to his close ties with ousted leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi...

Read moreDetails
Female medics captured by junta forces in Kale Township. / CJ
Burma

Young but Determined Female Medics in Myanmar Junta Jail

by The Irrawaddy
December 1, 2021
5.4k

The families of the female medics killed or captured in a junta raid in Sagaing Region talk to The Irrawaddy...

Read moreDetails
Anti-regime protesters in front of the Chinese Embassy in Yangon in February. / The Irrawaddy
Analysis

Myanmar Junta Implementing China’s BRI Projects by Stealth

by The Irrawaddy
July 23, 2021
14.1k

Despite post-coup chaos, the COVID-19 pandemic and rising anti-China sentiment, the military regime is pushing forward with Beijing-backed infrastructure projects.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar’s Domestic Tourists Return but Foreigners Stay Away
Burma

Myanmar’s Domestic Tourists Return but Foreigners Stay Away

by The Irrawaddy
March 16, 2023
4k

Popular beach resorts report surge in local travelers ahead of the Thingyan New Year holiday, but many areas of the...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Raises SIM and Internet Taxes to Silence Opposition
Burma

Myanmar Junta Raises SIM and Internet Taxes to Silence Opposition

by The Irrawaddy
January 12, 2022
8.5k

The regime increases commercial tax by 20,000 kyats (US$11) on SIMs and a 15 percent tax on internet service providers’...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Regime Orders That All Foreign Currency Be Converted Into Kyats
Burma

Myanmar Regime Orders That All Foreign Currency Be Converted Into Kyats

by The Irrawaddy
April 6, 2022
12.6k

Exposing its dire need for dollars, the debt-laden junta has ordered that all foreign currencies be deposited and converted into...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Lawmakers at the Union Parliament on March 18, 2020. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar MPs to Receive COVID-19 Tests Before Coronavirus Budgetary Discussions

Screenshots from the video of men in Rakhine State being beaten by Myanmar military soldiers. / The Irrawaddy

Viral Video Shows Five Rakhine Men Beaten by Myanmar Military

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

2 days ago
991
Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

2 days ago
989

Most Read

  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Two Prominent Myanmar Ex-Political Prisoners Die Hours Apart in Yangon

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Junta Bombing of Resistance-Held Areas in Mandalay, Karenni Kills Seven Civilians

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.