Yangon airport extends flight ban over COVID-19 until end of month

12 April 2020
Yangon airport extends flight ban over COVID-19 until end of month
People stand in the departure lounge at the Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar, Myanmar, 18 March 2020. Photo: EPA

Yangon International Airport has extended its ban on international flight arrivals until the end of April in light of the fears over the spread of the coronavirus.

According to the notice from the Ministry of Health and Sports and Department of Civil Aviation, the landing of all international commercial passenger flights had been suspended temporarily at Yangon International Airport from 30 March to 13 April.

After carrying out a review on the above Temporary Measures, the Ministry of Health and Sports, with the approval of the National Central Committee for Prevention, Control and Treatment of COVID-19, has extended the effective period of the said Temporary Measures up to 30 April 2020 2359 Hours MST by the notification issued on 11 April 2020 to effectively contain the spread of COVID-19 in Myanmar during the early stage of the outbreak and to gain more time to implement effective preparedness and response measures.

The Myanmar authorities have brought in a raft of measures aimed at stemming the spread of the COVID-19 virus with partial lockdowns, social distancing, hygiene measures and testing.