Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha today (Mar 25) took to national TV broadcast to announce emergency decree, which will be enforced from midnight of 26 March until 30 April. The state of emergency will be applied nationwide to tackle the rising number of novel coronavirus infection cases in Thailand.
The first set of measures under emergency decree was later elaborated by Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam and is included forbidding entry from foreigners, discouraging the elderly from leaving their premises, and banning entry into “high-risked” areas.
Becoming effective after midnight of 26 March, Thai borders will be open only to Thai residents. Thai residents who desired to travel to Thailand must hold the “Fit to fly” health certificate issued by doctors.
The curfew hasn’t been imposed but the vulnerable groups to the virus are discouraged from leaving the house. The vulnerable people include the elderly aged more than 70 years, children aged less than 5 years and people suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, lung and respiratory issues and allergy.
High-risked areas that encourage mass gathering and close encounters such as bars, nightclubs, gyms and spas remain close until further notice. Spreading “fake news” relating covid-19 is illegal and will be severely prosecuted.
Each set of emergency decree will be issued day by day.