News of reopening Myawady-Mae Sot Friendship Bridge I afloat

The news that the Myawady-Mae Sot Friendship Bridge I on the Thailand-Myanmar border will be reopened before the end of this year is circulating, according to border-based traders.
Officials from Thailand and Myanmar had a meeting at the Myawady-Mae Sot Friendship Bridge II on 5 May for the reopening of Bridge I. The bridge was shut down on 23 March 2020 due to COVID-19 infections.
Closed for over two years, Mae Sot entrance checkpoints on the Thai side were cleaned by Thai authorities and immigration officials on 1 May 2022. Myanmar also conducted cleaning and painting work on the bridge and bridge frameworks on 4 May and officials from both countries had a discussion on 5 May about reopening the bridge.
The reopening of the bridge, control and prevention issues of cross-border illegal drugs, weapons smuggling and illegal border crossing by criminals were discussed at the meeting, according to news sources from the Thailand border.
When the bridge was open, there were about 2,000 tourists and hundreds of passenger vehicles per day.
Although the government of Thailand is working to reopen 17 border posts to speed up the flow of goods, the Myawady-Mae Sot Friendship Bridge I has not been opened yet.
In addition, those who will pass through the bridge will need a passport or a border pass. They will be accepted in three groups keeping in line with the health rules of Covid-19. — TWA/CT