The Associated Press 18 Mar 2020by Busaba Sivasomboon
Thailand’s government has enacted stronger
measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, including postponing the
country’s biggest holiday, shutting down schools and closing bars.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s Cabinet
approved the steps at a meeting at which all attendees wore face masks and sat
one metre (three feet) apart, as recommended by health experts.
The plan to postpone Songkran - the annual
three-day traditional New Year’s holiday in April - is one of a number of
measures to discourage the gathering and movement of large numbers of people.
Millions of Thais normally travel from the cities to their hometowns to celebrate
Songkran. The holiday will be rescheduled at a later date.
Government-run educational institutions through
university will be closed for two weeks starting Wednesday, initially in
Bangkok and adjoining provinces.
Gathering places such as bars, karaoke parlours,
movie theatres, gymnasiums, boxing stadiums and other sports venues will be
subject to closure as ordered by provincial governors. Such venues in Bangkok
are to close for two weeks beginning Wednesday.
The closing of restaurants and malls in Bangkok
will be at the discretion of its governor.
Meanwhile, restaurants are required to implement
strict disinfection procedures and health safety measures. Several in Bangkok
have already halted table service and are only providing takeout and delivery.
The governors of two provinces, Buriram in the
northeast and Uthai Thani in the north, have already regulated travellers with
health checks and banned gatherings of more than 50 people.
While the new coronavirus can be deadly,
particularly for the elderly and people with other health problems, for most
people it causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. Some
feel no symptoms at all and the vast majority of people recover.
Speaking at a news conference after the weekly
Cabinet meeting, Prayuth said Thailand remains open to foreign visitors, even
though strict conditions apply for people arriving from six places designated
by the government as disease-infected zones: China, Hong Kong, Macao, South
Korea, Iran and Italy.
Arrivals from those areas must have health
certificates issued no more than three days before boarding along with
health insurance, and must download cellphone applications developed by
the government to keep track of them and their health in Thailand.
Under plans apparently not yet implemented, they
would also be required to self-isolate for 14 days after arrival.
Officials have spoken of applying the same rules
to people coming from any country with an ongoing outbreak but have not
clarified when or how that would be implemented.
Thailand’s huge tourism sector is taking a major
blow from the COVID-19 outbreak. It accounted for 15.5% of total employment -
5.8 million jobs - in 2017, according to a report by Bangkok Bank.
The government said it would reduce the price of
public utilities including water and electricity by 3% to help people and
businesses suffering financially.
The government also announced plans to create
temporary six-month jobs, but gave no details.
“Under the current circumstances, prevention and
protection measures against COVID-19 are the first priority of Thailand,”
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said Monday when he announced many of
the measures proposed to fight the outbreak.
“The effects on the economy, tourism, exports
and trade come second,” he said. “We don’t know yet how serious this battle
will be. We are putting in everything to deal with it and then later we will
come up with an economic rehabilitation plan.”
Thailand, the first country outside China to
confirm a new coronavirus case, reported 30 new cases on Tuesday, bringing its
total to 177.
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