The public are key to control the spreading of the Covid-19. Soft loans and tax exemption plans will be arranged for the most vulnerable businesses in CMP sector, hotels and tourism and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) due to the COVID-19, Myanmar State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, said in her address to the nation on the evening of 16 March. 

In her seven-minute televised address, the State Counsellor said the government will reduce tax and interest rates so that the people will not suffer, to prevent unemployment, to continue operating factories and to have least impacts on the economy of the country. The 2-per-cent advance tax on export items will be exempted until the end of the current fiscal year. 

“A fund for prevention, control and treatment of COVID-19 will be raised with public contributions, and people are encouraged to make their contributions to this fund,” she urged.

The people are key. I frequently said before that no matter how the government adopts sound policies, public participation is pivotal to achieve success. I would like to urge the public to pay special heed to my words, she continued.

“With respect to health, people are the key to follow the health ministry’s guidelines and to avoid public gatherings. People are the key to prevent rumours and misinformation in the wake of the COVID-19. People are the key to avoid panic-buying and stockpiling goods. There have been no confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in our country until the present moment. The Ministry of Health and Sports has been releasing real-time information and announcements,” she added.