Thai PM urges people to stay home during Songkran festival
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on April 10 called on people to stay at home during the traditional Songkran festival to curb the spread of COVID-19.
A food supply area established in the yard of a shopping centre in Bangkok, Thailand (Photo: VNA)Bangkok (VNA) – Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on April 10 called on people to stay at home during the traditional Songkran festival to curb the spread of COVID-19.
In his televised address, the PM recommended people stay home instead of visiting relatives before or during the festival, which is slated for April 13-15. He also warned them not to leave home or join a celebration party anywhere else.
The Thai Government officially postponed the Songkran holidays and water splashing activities nationwide due to the complex developments of the pandemic.
The PM also allowed some groups or sectors to be excluded from the nationwide curfew to facilitate their work.
Thailand has been under an emergency decree from March 26 to April 30 to restrict travel to stop the transmission of the coronavirus.
Among the orders under this decree, a nationwide curfew from 10pm to 4am has been enforced since April 3, and only authorities and their assistants on duty, health care personnel and emergency patients are exempted.
However, according to the latest regulation, those working at petrol stations and public utilities, food shippers, garbage collectors, guards, fishermen and rubber tappers are also allowed to work during the curfew.
Meanwhile, Phuket has become the first province in Thailand to impose a lockdown on all 17 sub-districts, from 00:01am on April 13 to 11:59pm on April 26 or until the situation improves, to prevent the COVID-19 spread.
As of April 10, Thailand had confirmed 2,473 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including 33 deaths. Bangkok capital city had the biggest number of cases, 1,262, while the highest infection rate, 38.95 cases per 100,000 people, is recorded in Phuket./.
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