<pre>array(31) {
  ["id"] =&gt; int(11)
  ["catid"] =&gt; int(47)
  ["title"] =&gt; string(15) "Myanmar updates"
  ["thumb"] =&gt; string(68) "/public/uploads/images/20210519/8312e7030306fa91b7c2911b794a55f1.jpg"
  ["flag"] =&gt; string(0) ""
  ["keywords"] =&gt; string(51) "COVID updates in Myanmar,COVID-19 impact in Myanmar"
  ["description"] =&gt; string(113) "COVID updates in Myanmar. Updates on the COVID-19 impact in Myanmar on factories, working families and children. "
  ["listorder"] =&gt; int(5)
  ["uid"] =&gt; int(2)
  ["username"] =&gt; string(5) "admin"
  ["sysadd"] =&gt; int(1)
  ["hits"] =&gt; int(459)
  ["inputtime"] =&gt; int(1621272599)
  ["updatetime"] =&gt; int(1676863768)
  ["url"] =&gt; string(37) "/covid19-resource-hub/myanmar-updates"
  ["status"] =&gt; int(0)
  ["brief"] =&gt; string(0) ""
  ["content"] =&gt; string(35957) "&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=";font-size: medium;font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;white-space: normal"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;July 2022 Updates:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Education:&amp;nbsp;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=";font-size: 16px;font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;white-space: normal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Nine striking teachers, including the founder of the free online school, Kaung for You have been arrested. The school has now been declared temporarily closed.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Income:&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style=";font-size: 16px;font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;white-space: normal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Livelihoods and coping mechanisms continue to be severely strained – with GDP in 2022 estimated to still be around 13% lower than in 2019.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style=";font-size: 16px;font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;white-space: normal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;40% of the population is living below the national poverty line in 2022, unwinding nearly a decade of progress on poverty reduction.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style=";font-size: 16px;font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;white-space: normal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;While the overall economy has faced headwinds, some sectors have stabilized or recovered over the past twelve months, driving the modest growth expected for this year.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style=";font-size: 16px;font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;white-space: normal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Some firms have reported operating at a higher proportion of their capacity in 2022 than was the case in 2021, particularly in the manufacturing sector, and manufactured exports are recovering.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p style=";font-size: 16px;font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;white-space: normal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=";font-size: 16px;font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;white-space: normal"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr/&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;June 2022 Updates:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Education:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Myanmar students began a new school year on June 2, 2022 that was recently opened.. Not all parents and children are willing to attend these schools though. Some children are taking classes held by NUG online and some are attending private school. But a large number of children with limited access to the internet are missing out.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Manufacturing/Income:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;The economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 situation in Myanmar has unraveled the promising gains the country achieved since its opening in 2011. The World Bank’s update from January predicted a 1 percent growth for Myanmar in 2022. Most of the factories have permanently closed due to COVID and the turmoil, but those that are still running in Myanmar now are operating as normal as COVID cases have fallen sharply.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Child labour:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;The ILO (Myanmar) launched an eLearning programme on child labour. Delivered in Myanmar and English language, the nine-module interactive course went live on the ILO’s digital learning platform on June 12, the World Day Against Child Labour. The course aims to equip civil society partners, social workers, employers and workers’ organisations to effectively assess and address cases of child labour within their communities.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Transportation:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Travel restrictions due to covid have been lifted but check points are present in some places. International flights began operating on June 1 without quarantine requirements. Passengers arriving in Myanmar are only required to show a proof of vaccination letter and do PCR test when they arrive at the airport.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr/&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;March 2022 Updates:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Education&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;When the nation’s schools were reopened in November, most of the students and teachers refused to go back. Of those that are attending classes, most are in rural areas. According to reports, children in conflict-affected regions people are fleeing their homes and abandoning their studies in even greater numbers. There are mounting concerns about the quality of education in Myanmar and many families are torn about what to do. Of those that do opt to go back to school, they are faced with power cuts, lack of access to online learning and a lack of qualified teachers to replace those who are boycotting.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Despite all these challenges, the&amp;nbsp;matriculation exam, a state exam in Myanmar that determines students’ eligibility for university, is scheduled to go ahead at the end of March nonetheless.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Manufacturing:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;The World Bank’s update from January&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/507421574785059413/pdf/Myanmar-Economic-Transition-amid-Conflict.pdf" style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;projects&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;1 percent growth for Myanmar in 2022, noting that the country’s economy is 30 percent smaller than it would have been in the absence of the political turmoil and COVID-19 shocks.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;An estimated 220,000 garment workers lost their jobs in Myanmar last year because of the combined effects of the political situation and the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning of 2022, more than 20 factory closed due to the political situation and challenges maintaining a stable electricity supply.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;According to SMART’s recent survey, workers who remain in work are generally facing economic hardship due to reduced take-home pay, including reduced over-time and attendance bonuses. SMART also found that working hours are more irregular and there is increased recourse to dismissing workers for unnotified absences or other reasons. Workers are concerned about security. They generally consider COVID-19 measures in the workplace satisfactory,&amp;nbsp;but are&amp;nbsp;less&amp;nbsp;satisfied about&amp;nbsp;accommodation. On vaccination, 72% of workers, who have been surveyed by SMART, had been vaccinated, or were scheduled for vaccination.Click &lt;a href="https://eurocham-myanmar.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Myanmar-Garment-Sector-Factsheet_January-2022.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to read the survey report.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;September 2021 Updates:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Impact on workers and families:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;According to EcoTextile News, several brands have either halted orders or withdrawn&amp;nbsp;from Myanmar after the global union IndustriALL urged foreign companies to divest from the country because of the worsening political situation. More than 100,000 garment workers were already unemployed and that number could rise by another 200,000 by the end of this year. A country also stricken by a devastating COVID-19 outbreak, the trajectory does not bode well for workers and families reliant on the garment sector for their livlihoods.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr/&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;August 2021 Updates:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Impact on workers and families:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Labour experts estimate that the number of unemployed in Myanmar will rise by another 200,000 by the end of this year due to the continuous closure of garment factories. According to DVB, some factories that are still open are not paying workers as before or have reduced workers’ salaries significantly. There are also predictions that most international investors will leave.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr/&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="white-space: normal;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;July 2021 Updates:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Updates from local staff and project factories&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;When The Centre contacted factories working with us in May, half of them were temporarily closed with many hoping to be up and running again in three months. Other factories however, could not tell when, if ever, they will operate again. During this time, some of these factories had to reduce their manpower and rely solely on local staff, as 90% of Chinese staff went back to China according to what these factories told us.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;The Centre once again reached out to two project factories in late July to check on their status and to explore the feasibility to resuming worker wellbeing programmes there. One of these factories was temporarily closed, while another was open at the time of our inquiry. However, due to the onslaught of a third Covid wave, all factories have been ordered to cease production until August 1, 2021. The Centre will follow up with this factory when it reopens.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;The Centre has also reached out to all the children who have ongoing or completed remediation programmes with The Centre. All of these children are currently at home including those who are now of working age and had jobs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;From our discussions with workers in July, we heard that due to the dual effects of the political situation and Covid, workers are now not only struggling financially, but in terms of health as well. Anecdotal evidence points to an increase in factories hiring temporary workers, who are not entitled to benefits including leave, healthcare and other support. We have been told of workers concealing their Covid symptoms and going to work out of fear for losing their jobs because they have no social protection. Situations like this are apparently widespread and contributing to the rapid spread of the virus.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;According to our staff in Myanmar, there is an acute shortage of medical assistance and people are being forced to find healthcare solutions themselves.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;General updates&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Myanmar is currently facing a deteriorating COVID crisis, with record cases and deaths reported in July.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Access to essential services and supplies is extremely limited.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;According to the World Bank, around 1 million jobs could be lost, and many other workers will experience a decline in their incomes due to reduced hours or wages. The share of Myanmar’s population living in poverty is likely to more than double by the beginning of 2022, compared to 2019 levels.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;June 2021 Updates:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;General updates:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;By June 8, 2021, Myanmar has recorded 144,456 cases of COVID-19 and the number of deaths rose to 3,227, while the number of recovered patients rose to 132,525.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Due to political turmoil and strike, many hospitals and clinics are closed.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Impact on workers:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;The combination of COVID-19 and political turmoil is making access to medical care extremely difficult for families.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;According to Myanmar Now, around 200,000 workers have lost their jobs since February 1, 2021, while a further 200,000 are estimated to have lost their jobs prior to the turmoil because of COVID-19. According to the same source, many famous brands have pulled out of Myanmar. This dual impact on workers’ job security is increasing families’ financial pressure and many are struggling to pay for basic necessities.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"&gt;March 2021 Updates:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;General Updates:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;The number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 142,000 as of March 4, 2021&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;A nationwide 20:00-04:00 curfew is currently in place due to the ongoing unrest&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Schools in Myanmar have been closed for an entire calendar year due to COVID-19 and will continue to stay shut until further notice&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;The situation of workers and factories in Myanmar&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;At least 65,000 workers have been laid off in Yangon since the pandemic began, a regional minister has said.&amp;nbsp;Moe Moe Suu Kyi, Yangon’s employment minister, said that at least 70 of the region’s factories have shut down entirely, costing almost 25,000 jobs, while 200 more closed temporarily or laid off workers, costing another 40,000 jobs. However, trade unions say the number is much higher.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;According to Yangon&amp;#39;s employment minister, the government is paying 40% of the wages of employees who paid social security contributions, while employees who did not pay social security are receiving a one-off payment of 30,000 kyat in support from the government.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;COVID-19 impact on families&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Food and fuel prices have been rising sharply recently in Myanmar, putting families already reeling from the effects of the pandemic, under greater pressure. The price of rice was up by as much as 35% in some regions since February. Families from poor backgrounds are struggling to feed themselves and the risk of increased malnutrition among children is extremely high&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Prolonged school closure coupled with increasing financial pressure is creating an environment where child labour is very likely to increase exponentially, especially in the informal sector.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;"&gt;September 2020 Updates:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Since the COVID-19 pandemic, The Centre has been supporting 8 juvenile workers facing extreme hardship in Myanmar by deploying a COVID-19 emergency fund founded by a German brand. We recently spoke to four of the children to see how they’re doing. Here are their stories.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;1.&amp;nbsp;Htet&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;, 16 years old, currently receiving 3 months of living stipends based on the country’s minimum wage standard:&amp;nbsp;Htet has been working as a clerk in a fish pond since last July. His salary only covers basic living costs. He lives with his parents and grandmother. His father works at their small farm and hasn’t been able to sell the vegetables from his farm during the COVID 19 period. Two months ago, his mother found out that she has breast cancer and can no longer work. The family is now struggling to pay for her medical expenses. Htet recently passed his university entrance exam and dreams of continuing with his education.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="margin: 0px 0px 19px; font-family: 等线; font-size: 15px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(59, 59, 59);"&gt;“My mother wants me to keep this money for my studies but during COVID 19, we are struggling a lot with my mother’s medical expenses. With the money from The Centre (CCR CSR), we can pay for my mother’s medical expenses. I’ll work hard and try to continue studying,” Htet said.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(59, 59, 59);"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; color: rgb(59, 59, 59); font-size: 15px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;2.&amp;nbsp;Chit&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;, 17 years old,&amp;nbsp;currently receiving 3 months of living stipends based on the country’s minimum wage standard:&amp;nbsp;Chit lives with his mother and two siblings. A few months ago, he broke his leg at work and had a steel rod put into his leg. The factory gave him compensation for the accident but fired him at the same time. He now has to undergo another operation to remove the steel rod but doesn’t have enough money to cover the costs. He has been unable to find a new job during the pandemic and his mother is the sole provider. The 3-month living stipend is enough to pay for his operation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(59, 59, 59); font-family: Arial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="margin: 0px 0px 19px; font-family: 等线; font-size: 15px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial;color: rgb(59, 59, 59);font-size: 15px"&gt;“Thank you so much for the supporting us. We will go to hospital for his operation once we receive the support from The Centre (CCR CSR). My son always puts our family first but due to his leg pain, it is not easy for him to find a suitable job. Now we are so happy because we can heal my son’s leg. After this operation, I hope he will be able to go back to work again,” Chit’s mother.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;3.&amp;nbsp;Kyu Kyu,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt; 17 years old,&amp;nbsp;currently receiving a living stipend for one month based on the country’s minimum wage standard:&amp;nbsp;Kyu Kyu left her hometown and headed to the city to live with her sister with the hope of finding decent work. That has proven to be extremely difficult due to COVID-19 and she has yet to find something. When CCR CSR became aware of her situation, she was struggling to pay for her hostel fees and food. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="margin: 0px 0px 19px; font-family: 等线; font-size: 15px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(59, 59, 59);"&gt;“My parents want me to come back to my hometown if I don’t find a job. But I don’t want to give up. This living stipend and in-kind support is really helpful because I don’t have to worry about the hostel fees and about food during these two or three months and I can stay in the city and find a job,” Kyu Kyu said. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(59, 59, 59);"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Impact on Factories&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul class=" list-paddingleft-2" style="list-style-type: disc;"&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;All interviewed factories have been operating since the first week of the May. These factories underwent government inspections and received a certificate permitting them to reopen and prepare their facility for production per government guidelines.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Four factories predict a decrease in orders up to 50% this year; 2 anticipate an increase in orders, 3 think the orders will stay the same, while the remaining 5 say it’s difficult to predict.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;The top 3 challenges faced by the surveyed and interviewed factories are: unable to control the risk of virus spread in their facilities, shrinking order volumes, delayed supply from the lower tier factories&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Eight our 14 factories were not receiving any government support.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Impact on Parent Workers and Children&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;1.&amp;nbsp;Income: Four factories reduced their workers’&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;incentive percentage; the remaining 10 factories did not alter their workers’ payments.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;2.&amp;nbsp;Childcare: The top 3 challenges reported by parent workers are: not being able to visit their children at home due to travel restrictions, no time to take care of their children at home while schools are closed as they have to continue going to work, not being able to concentrate on work leading to low productivity and an increase in defect rates.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;3.&amp;nbsp;Pregnant workers: Pregnant workers are now entitled to 26 weeks of medical leave at 60% pay during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pregnant workers were previously eligible for&amp;nbsp;six weeks maternity leave at 70% pay before delivery and eight weeks after. On March 30, it was announced that pregnant women were banned from working during the pandemic in guidelines released by the health ministry.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;Actions Taken by The Centre&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;1.&amp;nbsp;Thanks to the deployment of COVID-19-related emergency funding by 2 brands, we were able to support one family, who was rebuilding their house after it was destroyed by a cyclone, to buy essential building materials such as bamboo and floor sheets. Following the sudden loss of their house, the family had to stay with neighbours in cramped conditions and couldn&amp;#39;t afford the rebuilding themselves as all income sources had dried up due to the pandemic.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="margin: 0px 0px 19px; font-family: 等线; font-size: 15px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(59, 59, 59);"&gt;“With the support from The Centre (formerly &amp;#39;CCR CSR&amp;#39;), we can rebuild our house in a short time and we don’t have to stay at our neighbour&amp;#39;s house and have been able to overcome many challenges,” said the mother of the household.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(59, 59, 59);"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;2.&amp;nbsp;We were also able to deploy the aforementioned emergency fund to support one child to acquire electricity for their home. When electricity was installed in their village in late May, the family could not afford to pay for the devices needed for the electricity to work in their home. The family had previously lost their livelihood because of the pandemic.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="margin: 0px 0px 19px; font-family: 等线; font-size: 15px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(59, 59, 59);"&gt;“Because of the support from The Centre, we don’t need to borrow money from others to buy the devices. If we hadn’t received this support, we would have had debt. We really were struggling a lot at the time. Now we are so happy that everything is going smoothly. Thank you for your support,” the father told The Centre.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(59, 59, 59);"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;3.&amp;nbsp;We&amp;nbsp;are currently also providing emergency support to four young workers in the form of monthly cash stipends to cover basic living costs and in-kind support. All of these children are in extreme financial hardship because one or both of their parents have lost their livelihoods and are unable to work. One of the children lives in a single-headed household with her mother and two siblings. Her mother&amp;#39;s income was reduced drastically during the pandemic and they do not receive any government support.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;4.&amp;nbsp;We delivered health care kits to 3 families currently taking part in The Centre’s child labour remediation programme.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;5.&amp;nbsp;Increased frequency of monitoring calls to families taking part in a child labour remediation programme to keep abreast on their current situation and challenges faced during COVID-19.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;"
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