The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) in Thailand on Wednesday approved the extension of the state of emergency nationwide for another month until Aug 31.
CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said the extension was necessary because the novel coronavirus was still spreading worldwide and Thailand was allowing in foreign visitors and easing lockdowns on business and activities that pose high risks of disease transmission.
“There must be strict and continuous supervision to prevent a local spread, and the executive decree on public administration in emergency situations enables the prevention and solution to the problem,” he said.
The emergency decree allows the government to restrict arrivals, follow up suspected cases of Covid-19 and impose disease control measures on all business and activities, Dr Taweesilp said.”The decree enables the mobilisation of civil servants, police and soldiers for efficient operations. The emergency decree will be an important tool to prepare national transition to the new normal until other laws can be put in place.”
Gen Somsak Roongsita, secretary-general of the National Security Council and the man who proposed the extension, said global Covid-19 cases were rising by over 200,000 a day and were occurring in countries nearby to Thailand.
The disease control law would be amended to provide an efficient response to Covid-19. Pending that, the emergency decree should be exercised, he said.
“We neither impose a curfew nor ban gatherings to prove our sincere intention for disease control,” Gen Somsak said.
