The gemstone trading centre in Mandalay will stay closed until the end of the month, even as the number of COVID-19 cases remains low in the region.
U Myo Myint Naing, secretary of the Mahar Aung Myay Gemstone Trading Centre executive committee, said that despite the management’s efforts to comply with
COVID-19 regulations, it had been ordered stay closed until the end of the month.
“We have been ordered to stay shut until July 31,” he said. “We have not received permission to reopen.”
He said that among the measures taken, the centre had issued 36,000 entry cards to avoid crowding and comply with social distancing regulations. It has also set up a schedule for traders – 5-9am is reserved for sales of roadside mixed rocks and sheet layers, 9am to noon is for finished cut stones, and 1-5pm is for bracelets and cuttingand-finishing.U Kyaw Zaw Aung of the Mandalay City Development Committee said a team from the mayor’s office will conduct an inspection and, if satisfied with the measures, will make a recommendation to the regional government.
The centre attracts thousands of people a day, including gem buyers from China.
The regional government has eased COVID-19 restrictions, allowing long distance travel to resume, hotels to reopen, and manufacturing to resume if they abide by
COVID-19 regulations.Of the region’s four confirmed COVID-19 cases, three have recovered and been discharged from hospital. – Translated
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Source : Myanmar Times