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.

This scene seems to clearly illustrate the devastation of the Covid-19 epidemic on the tourism industry of the Golden Temple, especially on an island famous for its never-sleeping nightlife, which once attracted about 15 million. visitors per year, according to New York Times. Just a few weeks ago, Phuket seemed ready for a comeback. After a year away from foreign tourists, the Thai government decided to allow vaccinated visitors to Phuket in July without going through quarantine. This is part of a project called the Phuket Sandbox. However, the land of the Golden Temple is facing the worst outbreak of Covid-19 since the pandemic began, partly due to the rich people coming to Phuket, Bangkok to party without adhering to the social gap. Due to the epidemic, Phuket’s beaches are deserted even at the time of year attracting tourists. The number of new daily reported infections increased from 26 on 1 April to more than 2,000 just three weeks later. In early December 2020, Thailand had only 4,000 cases of Covid-19. For months, Thailand’s strict quarantine, blockade and mandatory masking measures have helped limit the spread of the epidemic despite having a significant impact on the economy. But in the latest outbreak, the country’s government responded slowly. In Phuket alone, it was not until April 22, when cases of SARS-CoV-2 were recorded at a record high, did the local government begin to request Covid-19 screening for those arriving on the island. On April 18, the Thai tourism minister admitted that Phuket reopening on July 1 seems unlikely because it will depend on the anti-epidemic situation in Thailand. Bleak In preparation for Phuket Sandbox, the Thai government has provided a variety of vaccines to the island, in hopes of gaining public immunity by the summer. As of mid-April, more than 20% of Phuket’s residents have been vaccinated. However, the picture is still very bleak. Usually at this time of year, the golden sands of Patong Beach will be overflowing with foreign tourists. But now, they are almost abandoned, where some local residents line up for Covid-19 tests. On the way, reptiles can freely move around without fear of being hit by traffic. The absence of international tourists makes life difficult for local residents in Phuket. In mid-April, the Songkran festival is seen as a rehearsal for Phuket’s revival. Instead of foreign visitors, hotels try to attract wealthy locals who, if not for the pandemic, would have gone to Hokkaido (Japan) for a vacation or to shop in Paris (France). However, rather than preparing for a comeback as a tourist paradise, the Songkran festival seems to have spoiled the island’s chances of reopening in July. At the festival in Patong and other beaches in April, thousands of wealthy Thais party, wear bikinis more than masks. To them, Covid-19 is just a virus that can infect vegetable vendors or manual labor, not the upper class. However, subsequent viral test results showed how wrong their thinking was. Many local workers had to line up to receive food assistance due to loss of jobs during the epidemic. The outbreak of the epidemic after months of economic difficulties is also causing the majority of Phuket’s residents to suffer. Just watching a 3-year-old elephant nibble on a cane nearby, Jaturaphit Jandarot lay slowly swinging in a hammock, with nothing else to do. Before the pandemic, he and other elephant managers on the outskirts of Patong used to bring in more than 100 tourists a day, mostly from China. “I am delighted to know they will open Phuket to foreign tourists. Thais do not ride elephants, “Jandarot said. But no matter what the tourism situation, the elephants still need to be fed. . “Of course, we want to welcome people to Phuket, but when they do not defend themselves and bring Covid-19 here, I am somewhat angry,” said Huda Panan, a primary school teacher. Being a taxi driver, unemployed for a year. At one point, mosques in Phuket distributed food to the local people. The long line of people quickly ran out of food. “We can wait a little longer to improve Phuket situation, but not too long,” said Panan.

Workers install solar panels at floating power farm. (Image: Reuters) The Thai government is rushing to complete the construction of the floating solar farm in Ubon Ratchathani province, going one step further in promoting the use of clean energy, reducing dependence on fossil fuel source. The project started construction in November 2020, on the surface of the reservoir of the Sirindhorn hydroelectric dam in Ubon Ratchathani province, northeastern region of Thailand. Rated as one of the largest hydro-solar hybrid power generation projects in the world, this solar farm complex consists of seven solar clusters with 144,417 solar panels, built. on an area of ​​water surface up to 121 hectares. In an interview with Reuters news agency, Mr. Chanin Saleechan, Project Manager, said: “It is expected that by the end of April, we will complete the installation of the solar panels and will be ready to connect to the grid. the end of June, 2021 ”. According to the Electricity of Thailand (EGAT), the investment agency that implements the project, this solar farm, when completed, can reach a generating capacity of up to 45 megawatts. Mr. Chanin said that EGAT will adopt an Energy Management System to convert energy sources between solar and hydroelectricity, allowing the hybrid system to produce electricity continuously. He also affirmed that the combination of hydroelectricity and solar power will help reduce the cost of electricity generated. If the pilot project is successful, EGAT plans to continue implementing this model in other hydropower dams across the country over the next 16 years. “When all projects are completed in the hydropower dams, we will reach a total generating capacity of up to 2,725 megawatts,” said Chanin Saleechan. Previously, Thailand’s electricity source used to depend mainly on coal-fired thermal power plants, however, the construction of new thermal power plants is facing a lot of opposition due to health and environmental concerns. . Most recently, two coal-fired thermal power plant construction projects were canceled in 2018. According to the latest Energy Development Plan launched by the Thai government, the country aims to generate electricity from clean energy sources at least 35% of the country’s total electricity production by 2037.

The Royal Thailand Notice has published the country’s vaccine passport format form, with the official name of the “Covid-19 immunization certificate”, which contains the name, passport number and nationality of the person who received the vaccine. vaccinations. Only people who get vaccinated in Thailand or are certified by the World Health Organization can be issued with vaccine passports. Photo: Tan Hoa commune Vaccine passport issued by Thailand can only be used for 1 person and children under 7 years old must have parent’s signature on their passport. Only six senior health officials in Thailand are authorized to sign the vaccine passport. Thailand currently records more than 46,000 Covid-19 cases and the country is stepping up its national vaccination campaign. Thailand’s Ministry of Health is expected to let people book vaccinations through an application on the phone from May 1 to. Thailand is planning to purchase an additional 5 million to 10 million doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine to meet the country’s need for immunization.

The beaches in Phuket are empty of foreign tourists. (Photo: Bangkok Post Office) The Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand said that the number of Covid-19 cases per day has increased to more than 2,000 and is not sure how the pandemic will break out, so the previous goal is to attract 6.5 million foreign tourists in 2021 are difficult to achieve. The Thai government currently expects international arrivals by 2021 to be only 3 million to 4 million visitors. Meanwhile, local tourists are predicted to make about 100 million -120 million trips this year, down from 160 million in the previous forecast. However, Thai officials will continue to plan to attract international tourists who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, through a pilot project in the tourist city of Phuket from July 2021. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports will help distribute Covid-19 vaccine to 70% of Phuket’s residents in preparation for international tourists. Regarding the Covid-19 situation in Thailand, today (April 24), health officials of this country recorded a record high number of new cases in the day, with 2,839 cases and 8 more deaths. To date, this Southeast Asian country has recorded a total of 53,022 cases of Covid-19, of which 129 died and 22,327 are under treatment./.

“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.

Citing the Bangkok Post on April 18, the VNA reported that some people went on social media to call for beds for family and friends, with the perception that these calls aroused concerns. The country’s health system is being pushed to the limit. Bangkok Post cites the case of Boworn Tapla, football player of Chiang Mai United team. Boworn tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus since April 12 and while waiting for the hospital bed, the player’s wife and two young daughters were also infected. About four days later, Boworn’s wife and children were hospitalized in Bangkok after he went to social media to call for help due to her daughter’s worsening illness. Meanwhile, the Thai government asserted that the diseases have enough beds for COVID-19 patients, and urged people not to be fussy and demanded treatment in high-service hospitals. The President of the Private Hospital Association (PHA) Chalerm Harnphanich also said that many COVID-19 patients in Thailand are currently waiting for their beds because some private hospitals cannot arrange them. This is partly because some private hospitals do not refer patients to facilities outside of their network and some require patients to pay for treatment and services despite the fact. is that the Government will pay for the medical costs for the COVID-19 treatment. In response to the spike in COVID-19 cases, the Thai government has ordered authorities to provide 25,000 more beds nationwide, in addition to the normal capacity of hospitals. The country’s Ministry of Health is also considering allowing COVID-19 patients to live alone to treat themselves if the health facilities are overloaded. According to current regulations, all patients with COVID-19 must be hospitalized to reduce transmission. This is why some private hospitals in Bangkok have previously suspended COVID-19 testing due to lack of beds to treat COVID-19 patients. Secretary General of the National Health Security Office (NHSO) Jadet Thammathat-Aree on April 17 said 700 COVID-19 patients are waiting to be hospitalized. However, this official confirmed NHSO and the Department of Health Services have assigned staff to monitor patients by phone every day. Patients with COVID-19 are advised to contact the NHSO or the Department of Medical Services on a hotline when in need of assistance. Meanwhile, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul asked the Department of Health Services to prepare a manual for self-care for patients COVID-19. This handbook is designed for patients with medical conditions that may require self-treatment at home. However, this alternative is only applicable to asymptomatic patients who live alone and will not infect family members. Health Minister Anutin said hospitals are also encouraged to associate with hotels to set up hospitals and hotels to increase beds in active treatment zones for those with severe symptoms that forecast. may increase over the next two weeks. According to statistics, the total number of beds in Thailand’s field hospitals and hotels – hotels nationwide is about 24,500 beds. Bangkok Metropolitan Area Authority (BMA) spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang said the capital still has beds available for COVID-19 patients, but admits that transportation of patients to the hospital remains limited. BMA has a total of 9,183 beds for COVID-19 patients and 4,244 beds are still empty. Thailand on April 18 recorded a record number of new cases of COVID-19 by day at 1,767 cases and 2 deaths, bringing the total number of cases so far to 42,352 patients and the total number of deaths. 101 people died from this disease. Suspension of domestic flights at night time frames The Civil Aviation Administration of Thailand (CAAT) has asked air transport agencies to stop operating domestic flights within the time frame from 23:00 the night before to 4:00 am the next morning in response to the wave of spread. next COVID-19 translation. According to the VNA, in a statement dated April 17, CAAT President Suttipong Kongpool said air transport agencies had to comply with the above order from April 18. In addition, air transport operators or airlines have to consider arranging passengers’ seats on planes based on social distance rules. Air and airport transport operators have also been required to notify passengers at risk of COVID-19 infection needing to suspend their travel otherwise they could be fined under the Infectious Diseases Act. Thailand on April 18 recorded the highest number of new cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the epidemic with 1,767 cases and 2 deaths, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 42,352 cases, of which 101 cases did not survive. ./.