Thai Chamber of Commerce calls for vaccine delivery to be speeded up

The chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce says officials hope to reinvigorate the economy within 99 days, through a “Connect the Dots” policy. Sanan Angubolkul adds that the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines must be speeded up if the economy is to recover in that timeframe.

“Thailand is slow in distributing vaccines. This will result in a slow economic recovery.”

The Connect the Dots policy is a way of connecting the state sector with the private sector and individuals, in order to drive economic recovery within 99 days. The scheme also proposes a partnership that would involve a huge retail operator assisting its tenants, particularly small to medium-sized businesses, to get better access to financial assistance. Sanan says he plans to meet PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to discuss the chamber’s proposals.

He says an acceleration of the vaccine rollout will help to increase business confidence and facilitate the planned re-opening of the country. According to a Bangkok Post report, the chamber is pushing for 50% of the population to be vaccinated as soon as possible. Sanan says this rate of vaccination, coupled with various stimulus measures, should lead to GDP growth of between 3% and 3.5% this year.

It’s understood the private sector is ready to help the government with the logistics of the vaccine rollout, including transportation of the jabs, as well as the provision of cold storage facilities and vaccination centres.

In addition, the chamber proposes a campaign it’s calling, “Buy 1, Give 1”, which it hopes will help speed up the vaccine rollout. Under the scheme, for every dose a company purchases for its employees, it will give a free dose to individuals. Sanan says many businesses have said they’re willing to fund vaccines for around 900,000 workers.

Meanwhile, Yol Phokasub from the TCC has announced a campaign called, “Hug Thais”, which will promote inbound tourism and encourage Thais to buy local and travel more within the Kingdom.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post