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Authorities recommend tighter restrictions on business and movement of people in 28 provinces, including the capital Bangkok.
Thai health officials have recommended tighter restrictions on business and movement of people in 28 provinces, including the capital, Bangkok, as the number of new coronavirus cases rises.
The measures, which require final approval from Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, include the suspension of some congested businesses and activities that pose infection risks to the public, while recommending that residents of those provinces work from home and avoid unnecessary travel outside their province.
With the Prime Minister’s approval, the new measures would begin to take effect on Monday and could be implemented until the end of January, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, spokesperson for Thailand’s COVID-task force. 19.
Earlier on Saturday, authorities in Bangkok ordered schools to be closed for two weeks and the temporary closure of daycares, gyms, bars and massage centers.
Shopping malls, restaurants, beauty salons, swimming pools and public parks remain open with strict social distancing guidelines, but some officials have suggested that new restrictions on on-site dining could be imposed in the capital and in other high-risk provinces.
“We expect the infection to increase in this area, so we need to have strong social measures to control the spread. There will be the closure of some businesses such as entertainment venues and restaurants that can only allow take out, ”said Kiattiphum Wongraijit, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Health.
But anger resounded on Thai social media on Saturday over the renewed restrictions, with business owners expressing frustration at the partial lockdown.
“I am strictly following the measures, but now I have to shut down my business as there are a lot of people jostling each other on the skytrain every day,” spa owner Aksika Chantarawinji wrote on the official Facebook page. of the Governor of Bangkok.
The Thai economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus and is among the hardest hit in Southeast Asia due to its dependence on tourism and exports.
Thailand confirmed 216 new cases of coronavirus and one new death on Saturday.
The country has managed to keep infection rates relatively low since the initial coronavirus disease outbreak last year, keeping the number of new cases single-digit for months until mid-December .
Now, in a second wave, many cases are linked to a group of migrant workers in Samut Sakhon province south of Bangkok. Another cluster is linked to illegal gambling dens in eastern Thailand, which both started in mid-December.
The country has recorded a total of 7,379 cases of coronavirus and 64 deaths since the start of the epidemic last January.
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