Covid-19 still a concern for upcoming Loy Krathong festival

The Loy Krathong festival is set to take place this Friday in Thailand. But according to a recent poll, a number of Thais are concerned that the Covid-19 measures in place are inadequate, and that another wave of infections because of the festival is possible. These concerns are making people hesitant to participate in the festivities.

Last month, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that the festival would be allowed to take place this year, despite the fact that Covid-19 is not yet fully under control. The Bangkok Post reports that, in a poll conducted by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, 1,139 respondents around the country were asked to give their thoughts on the festival this year.

When asked about their level of confidence in the Covid-19 prevention measures…

• Around 41% of participants said that they had “little confidence”
• Around 31% said that they had “no confidence”
• Around 24% said that they were “fairly confident”
• Around 5% said that they were “very confident”

The Suan Dusit poll also asked whether respondents would want to take part in their areas’ local Loy Krathong events. Around 44% responded with an outright “no.” 25% said that they would go, and 31% responded that they were not sure yet whether they wanted to participate or not.

When asked about general feelings regarding the festival this year, over 60% said that they were worried about an uptick in Covid infections.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post