SEOUL – South Korea plans to offer face masks and Covid-19 test kits to its citizens in Myanmar next week, the Foreign Ministry said today, amid an infection surge in the Southeast Asian country.
The move follows reports that three South Korean citizens in Myanmar died after testing positive for Covid-19 recently.
The country recorded 7,083 new cases with 145 deaths on Wednesday, reported Yonhap news agency.
“In consideration of the serious Covid-19 situation in Myanmar, the Foreign Ministry plans to provide masks and rapid Covid-19 diagnostic kits to vulnerable citizens in Myanmar,” said the ministry in a text message to reporters.
Next Tuesday, the ministry will start delivering 26 oxygen concentrators to a Korean residents’ community in Myanmar by air, said a ministry official. The community will cover the cost of purchasing them.
Access to medical services has been seriously restricted in Myanmar, as many medical workers have been protesting the February military coup amid a shortage of oxygen and hospital beds, according to reports.
Currently, some 2,000 South Koreans are estimated to reside in and around the commercial capital of Yangon, Myanmar. – Bernama, July 16, 2021
