Myanmar is no longer allowing the landing of all international commercial passenger flights in all Myanmar airports to prevent the importation of COVID-19 via air travel, according to a March 29 notice from the Department of Civil Aviation, with reference to a directive from the Ministry of Health and Sports.





The temporary measures will be effective at 11:59pm March 30 until 11:59pm April 13.

Previous landing permissions granted by the DCA will also be suspended, the statement said.

However, the measures will not affect relief flights, medical evacuation flights, all-cargo flights, and special flights which received approval from the DCA.

If said flights were to have nights stop, the crews may be subject to a quarantine requirement by the health ministry, the statement said.

On the same day, Myanmar also stopped issuing all types of visa to all foreign nationals, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The government has also suspended visa exemptions granted to all foreign nationals on bilateral arrangements, such as those from the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, except those holding diplomatic and official passport.

Other exceptions to the visa suspension are those diplomats accredited to Myanmar, United Nations officials resident in Myanmar and crew of ships and aircraft operating to and from Myanmar, the statement said. The suspension will be in force until April 30, it added.





The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country remained at eight. Seven of the eight cases are imported, according to the health ministry.

The deadly pneumonia-like disease has killed over 30,800 people and has spread to 177 countries, according to John Hopkins University and Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.