BANGKOK, Aug 22 — Thailand’s Covid-19 task force will reassess the post-pandemic transition next month before deciding to lift the Emergency Decree.
Acting government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)’s meeting last Friday chaired by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha has not made any decision on the revocation of the Emergency Decree.
“CCSA will meet to reassess the post-pandemic transition before October 1 to ensure that there will be no negative consequences in all dimensions and to prepare a response plan in case that such consequences are inevitable.
“The meeting (last Friday) deliberated policy framework, guidelines and timeline for the post-pandemic transition under the principle “to allow people to live with Covid-19 safely and be able to lead normal lives”, taking into account the current situation, risk, and preventive measures,” he said.
The Emergency Decree was first imposed in March 2020 solely for concerned authorities to tackle the Covid-19 situation, and to strictly and efficiently control the spread of the disease. The current Emergency Decree is due to expire by end of September.
However, the extension of the Emergency Decree has led to political activists and protest groups claiming the decree is meant to curb street protests in the kingdom as public gatherings are illegal.
Local media reported that the law will remain in place until at least November this year when Thailand hosts the APEC 2022 meetings.
Meanwhile, Anucha said Thailand’s response against the Covid-19 pandemic has been recognized internationally to the point where some countries express interest to learn from Thailand’s experiences.
“At present, over 90 per cent of Thai people have been immune, and over 90 per cent of them received the third shot of vaccine. It is expected that future Covid-19 infection will be in a similar manner as influenza which may be found throughout the year, with mild symptoms,” he said.
Over the last 24 hours, Thailand recorded 1,531 new Covid-19 cases and 28 fatalities bringing the tally in the kingdom to 4.63 million cases and 32,055 deaths since January 2020.
— Bernama
