Most economists agree that the COVID-19 pandemic is hastening a global recession on a scale unseen since the Great Depression. As large-scale quarantines, business closures, and a sharp fall in consumer and business spending progress, they will inevitably spiral down to more corporate layoffs and bankruptcies.

On April 21, 2020, following the Prime Minister’s extension of the lockdown measures in Laos to May 3, the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control (the Taskforce) issued guidance on what companies must do to be allowed to operate during the lockdown, entitled Instructions on the Conditions and Measures for Eligible Private Companies to Operate during the COVID-19 Outbreak. 

On April 17, 2020, the Immigration Department of Laos’ Ministry of Public Security issued Notification No. 752, which states that, further to the extension of the lockdown measures by the Prime Minister (see here for more information), the Immigration Department will also extend the terms of Notification No.

On April 19, 2020, Myanmar’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population announced a nationwide inspection of factories and workshops from April 20 to 30 to ensure safety and hygiene standards specified by the Ministry of Health and Sports in their notification issued on March 19. Only those that meet the standards will be allowed to continue operating during the COVID-19 outbreak.