Myanmar's Health Ministry lifts COVID-19 restrictions for election day

2020-10-26 04:05:52 GMT2020-10-26 12:05:52(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

YANGON, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's Health and Sports Ministry has lifted its COVID-19 restrictions on mass gatherings and stay-at-home order for the upcoming general elections.

According to the announcement on late Sunday, the Ministry of Health and Sports will allow gatherings of 30 people or more at the polling stations on the election day.

The gatherings of 30 people or more have been banned in the country since Aug. 12 as a measure to help control the spread of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the ministry also announced that citizens who are residing in the townships under the stay-at-home order will be allowed to go to the respective polling stations to cast votes on the election day.

So far, the stay-at-home order has been imposed in all townships in Rakhine state and Yangon region excluding Cocokyun township, 13 townships in Mandalay, Bago, Ayeyarwaddy regions and Mon and Kachin states to effectively curb the spread of the disease.

The ministry has made an exception for the voters so as to hold the general elections successfully, the announcement said.

Myanmar's general elections 2020 will be held on Nov. 8 this year and the five-year term of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) government will end in March 2021.

Myanmar has reported 44,774 COVID-19 confirmed cases with 1,095 deaths as of Sunday, according to latest figures released by the Health and Sports Ministry. Enditem

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