For Covid-19, officials want you to stop talking… on trains anyway

British trains are known for being silent, with nobody disturbing others with chatting. Now British expats can get a taste of home as Thailand’s train authorities add to their Covid-19 safety precautions the request of no talking on trains to avoid the spread of the virus.

The Department of Rail Transport has already implemented health and safety regulations to attempt to avoid the transmission of Covid-19 infections for travellers and commuters on trains. Face masks are required, and social distancing guidelines have been mandated. But now rail officials want to get people to keep their mouths shut.

Authorities hope that even with masks, the less we open our mouths, the less chance the airborne virus can escape an infected person and make its way to anyone else. They have requested that people on trains avoid conversations with each other and even talking on the phone for the duration of their journeys.

Further Covid-19 prevention measures are also in place aside from the socially distanced, masked and closed mouth ridership. All travellers must use the Thai Chana app on their phone to check-in before their journey to aid in contact tracing should an outbreak occur. They are also required to wash their hands with hand sanitiser as they board the train and exit the train at their destination.

The DRT confirms all these measures are following the guidelines set out by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, especially following the new lockdown restrictions in Bangkok and its surrounding 5 provinces and the 4 hard-hit provinces in the Deep South of Thailand.

Thailand’s rail service will also reduce the number of trains running between 9 pm and 4 am as these 10 provinces have a curfew in effect during those hours. The new restrictions and the request for your silence when aboard trains to curb the spread of Covid-19 will be in effect until at least July 25.

SOURCE: ASEAN Now