People in Bangkok go shopping. (Photo: Ngoc Quang/VNA) The capital Bangkok will allow the reopening of five types of businesses from June 1 in the context that this locality still leads the country in the number of new COVID-19 cases. The above decision was made at a meeting of Bangkok’s Communicable Diseases Committee on May 31. The commission said the reopening was intended to ease the burden on business by allowing it to operate under strict conditions. Efforts to control the outbreak of COVID-19 in communities, markets and worker housing are continuing. Five types business allowed to reopen in Bangkok from June 1, including: museums, learning centers, science parks, historical sites and art galleries (no group tours); tattoo parlors and nail salons (must close for 14 days if any COVID-19 cases are detected); beauty/weight loss clinics and services; spas, massage parlors and wellness-related locations (no saunas or facials); and public parks, botanical gardens and flower gardens (no eating or gathering). Other businesses in Bangkok will remain closed until June 14. While, Thailand On May 31, the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded within 24 hours reached a record high of 5,485, bringing the total number of infections so far to 159,792. The whole country also recorded 19 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total number of people who did not survive this disease to 1,031. Bangkok continues to lead the list of localities with new cases, with 1,356 cases recorded on May 31, followed by Phetchaburi (555 cases), Samut Prakan (358 cases), Saraburi (327 cases) and Pathum Thani (211 cases). Assistant Situation Center Spokesperson COVID-19 (CCSA) Apisamai Srirangson said Bangkok detected two new outbreaks, a residential area for construction workers in Bang Na district and a community in Sathon district, bringing the total number of clusters under close supervision in the capital to 45. .

Thai people get vaccinated against Covid-19 at Bang Sue Station in Bangkok. (Photo by Bangkok Post Office) On June 15, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha apologized to the people for delays in the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination program and said there were many reasons for the delay. this late. The Bangkok Post quoted Prayut as saying that the Thai government only received small batches of vaccines, not large batches at the same time. At the same time, vaccine shortages and delay in vaccination schedules only occur at vaccination sites with high vaccination capacity and have used up allotted vaccines. According to Prayut, the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines cannot be done quickly, and the production and quality control of vaccines are very time consuming. Many other countries in the world also have this problem. In addition, Thailand’s vaccination program was also adjusted to speed up the vaccination of high-risk groups in epidemic areas, thereby controlling the epidemic and protecting the activities of health workers. machine. This also affects some people who have previously registered for the Covid-19 vaccine. In addition, the vaccination process also involves many agencies and organizations, and misunderstandings can occur in the immunization coordination process. Prayut said those who had already registered for the vaccine but had their appointment rescheduled would not have to re-register and their registration would remain valid. He said: “As the Prime Minister and Director of the Thai Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), I am the commander-in-chief of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand. I apologize for the problems that have occurred and I will take full responsibility.” Prayut said the government has distributed 7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to provinces across the country and so far 6.5 million doses have been administered to people. He affirmed that he also closely follows information about vaccinations and does his best to solve problems that arise. “We will find ways to solve the problems to ensure the maximum benefit for the people and reduce their anxiety,” he said. The Thai government has now ordered 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to immunize about 50 million people, or 70% of the country’s population, this year. Prayut confirmed that Thailand will order more vaccines to be able to increase the number of people vaccinated to 80 to 90% of the population next year.

Shopping malls will be allowed to open from 11am to 9pm, while convenience stores across the capital will be closed from 10pm to 5pm the next day. The barber shop can only provide trimming and washing services. In addition, gatherings of 20 or more people will be prohibited. The capital Bangkok is at the center of the third Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand and one of 18 localities listed by the government as “red zones”, where the opening hours of certain facilities is limited. Thailand on April 24 at the same time recorded the highest number of new Covid-19 cases and the number of people dying from this pandemic on a daily basis. The Government of Thailand’s Covid-19 Situation Center (CCSA) on April 24 confirmed an additional 2,839 new cases, of which only 12 were imported, bringing the total number of cases in the country. now to 53,022 cases. The CCSA also confirmed eight more patients died of Covid-19, bringing the total number of people who did not survive the epidemic to 129 cases. Of the new infections recorded on April 24, the capital Bangkok accounted for the largest number with 1,582 cases, followed by Chiang Mai (151 cases), Chon Buri (119 cases), Nonthaburi (96 cases), and Samut. Prakan (84 cases), Pathum Thani (59 cases), Samut Sakhon (57 cases), Surat Thani (46 cases), Nakhon Sawan (38 cases) and Songkhla (34 cases). According to CCSA statistics, since April 1, Thailand has recorded a total of 27,000 Covid-19 cases, of which 56% are in Bangkok. The number of people killed from this pandemic nationwide since the beginning of the month has reached 43 cases.

“People will carefully celebrate Songkran at home,” Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced on April 6. He asserted that the regulations of a state of emergency still apply in response to the Covid-19 epidemic. All provincial governors are allowed to enact more stringent anti-epidemic measures if necessary. So, one year from now, the streets of Thailand will be free from laughing crowds, water gun fights from locals and tourists. Thailand attracts thousands of foreign visitors each year thanks to the Songkran water festival. Photo: Reuters. Songkran Festival usually starts on April 13 every year and takes place for 2 days. This year, the Thai government approved an additional day off on April 12 to give Thais a week-long vacation, to encourage people to travel, boosting the economy. However, the back outbreak of the epidemic destroyed the opportunity to revive the economy of the Golden Temple during the festival. Economic impact The Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts a rebound of the disease could cause tourists to reduce spending during the Songkran festival by 2.4 billion baht ($ 75 million). Many tourists have canceled their schedule to Thailand and checked out the hotel. “About 20% of the number of pre-booked rooms in major cities like Phuket, Pattaya and Hua Hin has been canceled,” said Pisoot Saekool, president of the Thai Hotel Association. The Thai Hotel Association and the Tourism Authority expect tourist spending on Songkran to drop to 9.6 billion baht, down from an earlier prediction of around 12 billion baht. Although more than 300,000 Thai people have been vaccinated with Covid-19, outbreaks are still popping up in Bangkok and can spread across the country during the Songkran holiday as many return home. As of April 7, Thailand had a total of 29,905 Covid-19 cases. Of which, 28,069 people recovered, 95 died. Many pubs and restaurants in big cities have to close temporarily to maintain social distance. This year, Khao San Road, a famous place to attract foreign visitors during the water splash festival, will no longer have crowds playing around, splashing water on each other. Photo: Akira Kodaka. At the upcoming festival, the Thai Covid-19 Situation Management Center (CCSA) only allows traditional activities such as pouring perfume on a Buddha statue. However, this operation should also be carried out at a distance of at least 1.5 m. With no public events and celebrations left, spending by locals on Songkran is also expected to drop significantly. A poll conducted by the Thai Chamber of Commerce University shows that this year’s Songkran will be less noisy as more Thais plan to stay at home. Holiday spending is expected to fall below 100 billion baht ($ 3.1 billion). This figure is still better than the Songkran festival in 2020, but much lower than the annual average of more than 135 billion baht. Khao San Road, a popular place to attract foreign visitors during the water festival, is also said to be very quiet as no public events are allowed, meaning the sales are bleak. business in this area. Sa-nga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Road Business Association, said the number of tourists is expected to plummet this year as fun activities such as splashing water and powder on each other are prohibited. “Before the Covid-19 pandemic, our revenue during the Songkran season was about 100 million baht per day. This year, however, I think it was only about 10 million baht,” Ruangwattanakul said.