THE National Security Council passed a resolution this morning (21.5.2020) to extend the state of emergency, due to end on May 31, by a month till end of June, PostToday reported.
The council’s secretary-general Gen Somsak Rungsita told the Press that this extension is being made to control the outbreak of Covid-19 and is not related to politics.
This resolution will be tabled to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as director of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) tomorrow and the Cabinet on May 26.
The additional month-long extension is necessary because phase 3 and phase 4 loosening of the Covid-19 measures have still to be implemented and tools are needed to oversee these steps in an integrated manner.
Gen Somsak added that today’s meeting did not discuss the pandemic because this will be raised when phases 3 and 4 relaxation is considered to ensure consistency.
While the public has asked that the curfew hours be adjusted, Gen Somsak said time is needed to make this adjustment to conform with the easing of various activities. Curfew is necessary because it does help stop the spread of this infection and helps control certain types of people.
He added the reopening of schools is still fixed for July 1, but a strategy has to be worked out at a meeting before this is done so that what occurred in some other countries, where children got infected after returning to school, is not repeated here.
Meanwhile Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, CCSA’s spokesman, announced at the daily briefing that there were three new infections, with one being a German man and one a returnee from overseas, but no deaths taking the total to 3,037 cases.
A 72-year-old Thai man who suffers from diabetes and lung cancer had gone to a state hospital for treatment then a barber shop for a haircut and was later found to have got infected.
The 42-year-old German man had traveled to Chaiyaphum to visit relatives one of whom had a cough and dry throat. He also went to a department store while there and upon returning to Bangkok was found to have got infected after undergoing a health check to go back to work.
The third case is a 25-year-old Thai woman who returned from overseas and is in state quarantine.
CAPTION:
Sathorn road deserted during curfew with the photographer saying she has never seen this area so clear. Photo: Maythee Anegboonlap (CC BY-SA 2.0)
