Thailand’s chamber of commerce believes trade with Myanmar will not be greatly affected by the recent stay-at-home measures in Yangon.

The blanket stay-at-home order, which will continue for at least 14 days, covers the entire city and heavily restricts business operations for most companies. Yet Niyom Waiyaratpanich, vice-president of Thai Chamber of Commerce, told the Bangkok Post that a temporary lockdown would not seriously dampen two-way trade that has been relatively healthy despite the pandemic. Trade between the two countries has dropped this fiscal year compared to the previous year, yet it has still totaled THB 101 billion (around USD 3.2 billion). Myanmar has chiefly bought non-alcoholic beverages, diesel fuel and fabric, according to official data reported by the Bangkok Post.

However, Waiyaratpanich warned that border crossing closures could be an obstacle. Even before the new wave of infections, only six of 21 border crossings had been open, and Thailand has since been shoring up border security, including a crackdown on illegal crossings. Furthermore, Waiyaratpanich said that the lockdown could deal more damage to trade if the lockdown continues much further than its current 14-day period.