- Covid-19 News
“Far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region – WHO update
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially announced today, that the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region. Regional Director for the Western Pacific at the WHO, Takeshi Kasai, says… “Let me be clear. The epidemic is far from over in Asia and the Pacific. This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot…
- Covid-19 News
No more shutdown announcements in Bangkok, for now
“Bangkok will not announce any further measures or continue to shut down the city.” This, from Taweesin Visanuyothin a spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. “Due to the daily number of confirmed cases remaining at a stable level, Bangkok officials have come to an agreement that they will not announce any more measures or force people to…
- Covid-19 News
All public transport to Phuket, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat suspended
Thailand’s Land Transport Department has suspended all public transport in an out of Phuket, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, due to the rapid spread of Covid-19. The four provinces are in the south of Thailand. The department’s director-general, Chirut Visarnchit, says that the suspension includes under-provincial and chartered services, but public transport to the other destinations is unaffected, but certain measures…
- Covid-19 News
Ministries will give up 10% of their 2020 budget to fight Covid-19 in Thailand
The third round of government measures are set to apply 10% of the country’s fiscal 2020 budget allocated to each ministry, and put into a central funding pool to battle against the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the rehabilitation of the economy. Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak says that the central fund will be overseen by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. “The measures…
- Covid-19 News
27 Bangkok police officers confirmed with Covid-19
Not only do medical staff take much of the risks, but police offers are also staffing the front lines in battling the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, Bangkok Police Chief Lieutenant General Pakkapong says… “As many as 27 Police offer in Bangkok have now been confirmed as positive with the Covid-19 and 326 others are in quarantine awaiting their results.” The infected officers…
- Covid-19 News
Confirmed Covid-19 infected Government House official
Yesterday, Dr Thaweesin Wissanuyothin, the spokesman for the centre announced that “a health official who coordinated between the Covid-19 response centre at Government House and the Public Health Ministry is confirmed to be infected with the virus.” Thaweesin, said that the official was only a coordinator and was not involved in the treatment of people infected with the virus. “The…
- Covid-19 News
Coca-Cola to suspend advertising, divert cash to fight Covid-19
Today Coca-Cola Thailand announced on its official Facebook page “cocacolaTH” that they will suspend all digital and TV advertising campaigns of all the brands under its umbrella in Thailand and divert all the money to support the fight against Covid-19. “We realise that the current situation is difficult for everyone, therefore we will continue to work hard to make sure…
- Covid-19 News
2020 fiscal budget emergency fund running dry – Budget Bureau
“The emergency fund of 96 billion baht from the fiscal 2020 budget has been nearly used up,” according to Dechapiwat na Songkhla, the director of Thailand’s Budget Bureau. Dechapiwat explains that the budget includes… 18 billion baht to help people who are affected by Covid-19 and drought, 45 billion baht for cash handouts, and… 2 billion baht as compensation of interest…
- Covid-19 News
14 million Thai’s crash online registration for 5,000 baht cash handout
It is estimated that 14 million Thai citizens have registered for the government’s stimulus measure for a ‘cash hand-out,’ crashing the website entirely. The number of people rushing to register was 4 times greater than the government’s initial predictions. The director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office, Lavaron Sangsnit, says… “On Sunday as of 11.30 am, the number of people who…
- Covid-19 News
Hundreds of Thai hotels seek aid to protect employees
Will the Thai Social Security Office compensate hundreds of hotels pursuing emergency assistance? Hotels are doing it hard as tourism has come to a virtual halt inside Thailand and hotels are either closing or scaling back their operations substantially. Yesterday, The Thai Hotel Associations sent a letter to the Thai Chamber of Commerce notifying them that hundreds of hotels are…
- Covid-19 News
More than 100 suspect travellers reported across the country
Yesterday, police staffed 359 random checks points across the country to screen road travellers for the Covid-19 virus. The checkpoints are being staffed by the Royal Thai Police. Deputy Commissioner General Police General Suwat Jangyodsuk, says… “Travellers who had a cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing or any body pain were scanned and more than 100 have now been reported to…
- Phuket News
Jungceylon Phuket commences food ordering and deliveries
Jungceylon shopping mall, in Patong Phuket has established a ‘food ordering & pick up’ service point for all its restaurants and fast food outlets to increase convenience and safety for local residents in the Patong district. The mall is offering the service in partnership with 30 restaurants and chains, including… AKA Japanese Restaurant, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin ‘Donuts, Four Seasons Restaurant, Fuji…
- Covid-19 News
People ‘strongly advised’ to stay home for 7 days
“People nationwide are strongly urged to stay home and stop socialising for 7 days, starting this weekend, as the government steps up efforts to stem the coronavirus.” Reported, Chief of Defence Forces General Pornpipat Benyasri, who is also in charge of security affairs and has full authority of the anti-virus measures under the emergency decree that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered.…
- Covid-19 News
NBTC sets aside 1 billion baht to help battle virus
“The assistance will only be given for tasks in the fight against the outbreak and the recipients cannot spend the money on other purposes.” The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission(NBTC) has announced a reserve of 1 billion Baht for medical facilities and public health agencies in the fight against the Covid-19 outbreak. This is due to 130 state hospitals seeking…
- Covid-19 News
7 Thai cabinet members are ‘high risk’ personnel and should be isolated
One of the directives under the state of emergency decree is a measure for certain types of people who are asked to stay home due to being in a high risk category if they contract the virus. The 3 groups are… Seniors aged 70 years and above People with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cerebrovascular diseases, respiratory…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s chicken egg exports banned for 7 days
“The 7 day ban is a trial period, if the situation does not improve by next week, we may consider extending the ban.” Deputy PMr and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit says… “Currently domestic production capacity averages 40 million eggs per day, while Thailand’s daily consumption is 39 million, and 2 million were exported. To deal with the problem, the…
- Covid-19 News
Banks stay open during state of emergency
The good news is you can still get to your money, most branches will stay open (for now) and ATMs will stocked with cash. The Bank of Thailand and other financial institutions say that they will keep as many branches open as possible to ensure businesses can continue to operate during the Covid-19 emergency. BoT, the Thai Bankers’ Association, the…
- Covid-19 News
Chicken eggs will not run out in Thailand
Poached, scrambled or fried, we’re unlikely to run out of eggs during the current emergency crisis. Thai chicken farm owners confirmed today that there will be no shortage of chicken eggs in Thailand. Mongkol Pipatsattayanurak, the chairman of the Chicken Egg Farmers and Traders association, says that the current daily output of chicken eggs is about 40 million and the…
- Covid-19 News
Curfew for soldiers after 5 test positive for Covid-19
Today, Army Chief General Apirat Kongsompong has officially ordered a curfew for soldiers after 5 in the Royal Thai Army came back with positive tests for Covid-19. After 238 soldiers entered quarantine, Apirat decided that it would be the best option for the Army to strictly monitor activities of soldiers and place a curfew on the troops. Apirat has ordered every…
- Covid-19 News
Search on for tour bus passengers after three test positive for Covid-19
Authorities in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand, have been tracking down 3 passengers who have tested positive for Covid-19. The passengers were travelling on a VIP tour bus from Bangkok to Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai disrtict. Chiang Rai deputy governor, Mr. Pasakorn Boonyalak, and Dr. Tossathep Boonthong, the provincial health chief, say… “…that they are asking passengers on Sombat Tour Company’s…
- Covid-19 News
New Phuket city hall gets makeover as emergency Covid-19 hospital
The new, as yet unfinished, Phuket City Hall is preparing to adjust its meeting spaces to a be a 40 bed field hospital which will accommodate Covid-19 patients as a frontline measure, if the situation worsens in Phuket. The new facility is 40% ready and will be fully functional this Friday (March 27). The facility is in Phuket Town, near…
- Covid-19 News
Cabinet approves 117 billion baht stimulus
Today the cabinet has approved a proposed new stimulus measures of at least 117 billion baht. Trying to minimise the magnitude of the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak that has infected more than 800 Thais across the country. The stimulus will include cash handouts worth 45 billion baht for more than 3 million workers outside of the social security system,…
- Covid-19 News
How to request a refund for electric meter deposits – starts tomorrow
Starting from tomorrow (March 25) the government is working with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and Provincial Electricity Authorities to start returning refunds on electrical meter insurance and deposits to provide some aid to people affected by the Covid-19 epidemic. Who will receive the refund? Type 1, residential houses Type 2, small businesses A total of 22.17 million customers will receive…
- Covid-19 News
Thai restaurants and food chains switching to home deliveries
A difficult time for restaurants as the government rolls out lockdowns across the country. So many of the restaurants and food chains are changing from sit in facilities to home delivery. They’re saying that they need to switch their financial strategy to stay afloat as the spread of Covid-19 becomes more serious in Thailand. So they’re becoming ‘virtual’ restaurants providing…
- Covid-19 News
Airlines suspending flights – Thai Lion Air, Singapore Airlines
“The airline has been seriously affected by the coronavirus situation, with passenger loads dropping so sharply that, some days, there are no passengers at all.” This is a letter addressed to the director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), Chula Sukmanop, sent from the CEO of Thai Lion Air Aswin Yongkiratikorn. Thai Lion Air has formerly notified CAAT…
- Covid-19 News
Thais in Malaysia may return home, but only by air
Today a statement was issued by the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and has officially announced that Thais’ who wish to return home can do so by air. And only by air, if they get a flight. Thai citizens in Malaysia can request a certificate from the Embassy via e-mail, if they want to return to Thailand. Provided that…
- Covid-19 News
Thai manufacturers of ‘substandard’ sanitisers warned
The ruling ‘Phalang Pracharat’ Party has given a warning that using counterfeit alcohol-based sanitisers can lead to lethal health conditions and vendors will face imprisonment. Tipanan Sirichana, a deputy spokesperson of the ruling party, posted on her Facebook account that there were several cases of patients suffering from respiratory illness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after using substandard sanitisers. “The chemical…
- Covid-19 News
Olympics postponement may be ‘inevitable’ due to Covid-19
Today Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe, says “postponing the Olympics over the coronavirus pandemic may become inevitable”, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said a delay was being considered as pressure grows from athletes and sports bodies. Meanwhile Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic committees announced they will not send teams to the Games if they are held this summer, prioritising the health…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 coronavirus questions and answers
Everything you wanted to know which we answer to the best of our current knowledge…. 1. How does the virus/infection spread? Mostly spread through contact with an infected person through coughing, sneezing, nasal secretion and saliva. It is understood that the virus can be airborne for at least a short time. So just being in the same vicinity as an…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand closes many of its land borders
Interior Ministry, Anupong Paojinda, has given governors full authority to close all border provinces, but must leave one international checkpoint active for special circumstances. The move is the latest in Thailand’s attempts to block any arrivals to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, which has spiked sharply with new cases this past week. “The only exception will be Chiang Rai as it…
