16 July

State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi wrote on her Facebook page yesterday “Let’s not relax till we reach our victory over COVID”. This was what she wrote: 

The three big cities of Myanmar are Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Mandalay with Mandalay and Yangon having their own histories and unique qualities; Nay Pyi Taw is the late arrival new city (or rather the new big city).

During this COVID period, we had to pay special attention to Yangon because its population is the largest and the domestic spread of infection rate is the highest. Taking into consideration the situation of the disease we relaxed some restrictions where possible. 

Although the situation in Mandalay is not as bad as Yangon, the regional government imposed rules and regulations with care. Because the population density and the population figure of Nay Pyi Taw are not that high, we can say that the danger of the disease was not as serious as Yangon or Mandalay; however, we had to pay very special attention because it is the seat of the Union Government. 

Because there is the travel to and fro of diplomats and visitors, we had to impose rules and regulations so that this would not impact on the running of the government machinery. 

In the early stages, all three cities followed the rules and regulations fearing the danger of the disease; later they became more and more careless. If I said Nay Pyi Taw is the least careless, would I be showing it favour? 

With good competitive spirit, may you all be able to show that your city is the best in following the rules and regulations? “Let’s not relax till we reach our victory over COVID.” 

(Translated by: Kyaw Myaing)