Myanmar first experienced the COVID-19 crisis as a relatively brief economic shock in early 2020, before the economy was later engulfed by a prolonged surge in COVID-19 cases from September 2020 onwards.

The outbreak and wide spread of COVID-19 poses a new threat to global food security.

Absent vaccines and pharmaceutical interventions, the only tool available to mitigate its demographic effects is some measure of physical distancing, to reduce contagion by breaking social and economic contacts.

Research and science should not only inform food and environmental policy but should be adopted and mainstreamed into actions at all levels.