Thai people wear face masks to protect themselves from coronavirus. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) - The Thai Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on July 22 approved the extension of the state of emergency nationwide for another month until August 31.
CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said the extension was necessary because the COVID-19 pandemic was still spreading worldwide and Thailand was allowing in foreign visitors and easing lockdowns on business and activities that pose high risks of disease transmission.
The emergency decree allows the government to restrict arrivals, follow up suspected cases of COVID-19 and impose disease control measures on all business and activities, Taweesilp said.
It will be an important tool to prepare national transition to the new normal until other laws can be put in place, he added.
Gen Somsak Roongsita, secretary-general of the National Security Council and the man who proposed the extension, was quoted by the Bangkok Post newspaper as saying that global COVID-19 cases were rising by over 200,000 a day and were occurring in countries nearby to Thailand.
The disease control law would be amended to provide an efficient response to COVID-19. Pending that, the emergency decree should be exercised, he said./.
VNA
