BANGKOK Governor Pol. Gen. Aswin Kwanmuang today (Sept. 17) said he had never announced that the Bangkok Sandbox scheme will be launched on October 15 as has been widely reported with the welfare of the majority of the residents having to be considered first before the capital could be reopened to tourism, Amarin TV said.
It has to be ensured that there will not be new waves of Covid infection before Bangkok could reopen its doors to tourism, he said, adding that second jab vaccination of 70% or more of the city’s population has to be completed before this step could be taken.
However Aswin said the target is to ensure that 70% of the residents get their second jab by October 22 but if vaccines are allotted earlier it could be completed sooner.
Meanwhile the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s (CCSA’s) spokeswoman Apisamai Srisangson said regarding the opening up to tourism in October the Tourism and Sports Ministry reported that Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has not approved this.
Moreover such a plan has to be first approved by the Public Health Ministry then the small CCSA panel and finally the CCSA executive committee.
Today there were 14,555 new coronavirus cases and 171 deaths, the Public Health Ministry said.
Of the new batch of cases 12,600 emerged in surveillance and healthcare systems, 1,156 found through proactive search in communities, 790 got infected in prisons and detention centres while nine overseas arrivals were quarantined.
This raises the cumulative confirmed total from April 1 to 1,419,929 and since the start of the pandemic 1,448,792.
Another 13,691 patients have been cured taking total recoveries since April to 1,276,821 and from the onset of the pandemic 1,304,247 while 129,421 are still undergoing treatment.
The additional 171 fatalities raises the death toll since April 1 to 15,030 and from the start of the pandemic 15,124.
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Top: People waiting to get a Covid jab at a Bangkok vaccination centre.
Home Page: Bangkok Governor Pol. Gen. Aswin Kwanmuang. Both photos: NNT
