Bangkok City Hall assesses Covid readiness

With travel increases to Thailand, and with the reopening of China, comes the risk of spreading Covid-19. Bangkok City Hall is taking steps to ensure that visitors can enjoy their stay while keeping themselves and others safe as they brace for an influx of tourists.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt tasked his deputy governors with conducting a full assessment of the city’s public health system’s preparedness. This includes ensuring that there are enough personnel, beds, medication, and vaccines to respond to any outbreaks that may occur.

City Hall is also closely monitoring businesses and attractions like hotels, markets, floating markets, and temples where foreigners are likely to be, as well as tourist hotspots such as Khaosan Road and Yaowarat Road which could be at higher risk of transmission due to increased visitor numbers.

To support these efforts, the city reactivated its Covid command centre. The command centre will be responsible for accurate information reporting and promoting health and hygiene measures such as social distancing, hand hygiene, mask-wearing, and the SHA Plus requirements for businesses.

In addition to these measures, Bangkok City Hall is also considering offering vaccines to visitors who want them. This could help to protect not only the visitors themselves and the local population from the spread of the virus.

City Hall is also preparing a system to support travellers who cannot return to their country of origin due to Covid. Some countries, such as India, have added requirements that their citizens must test negative for coronavirus before they can return to their home countries.

What happens to those infected during their trip is the biggest fear for all, locals and travellers alike.

These systems should address that, according to the National News Bureau of Thailand.