The extension of the State of Emergency (SOE) is necessary to prolong the entry ban that would prevent a second wave in Thailand, the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Wednesday.
The SOE came into effect on March 26 and it has been extended four times now. It has been nearly two months since the last locally transmitted coronavirus case in Thailand.
The CCSA’s latest approval means that the SOE will be extended until the end of August.
“The global outbreak situation is still severe,” said Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, CCSA’s spokesperson.
The CCSA said there is still a risk of infection from both Thai returnees and the groups of foreigners that have been allowed to enter the Kingdom since July 1.
However, Thailand is allowing more foreigners to enter the country while also relaxing lockdown measures. High-risk businesses and activities are already beginning to resume.
The CCSA said that with these risks, there is a need to use “legal power” to solve the ongoing problems surrounding the government’s efficiency in preventing a possible second wave of infections.
These include:
- Regulating the mobility of people and transportations at all borders and ports
- The tracing and detaining of people who could be infected
- Improving the enforcement of outbreak prevention measures
The SOE is an important tool during this transition period “until there are other laws that can support it,” Dr Taweesin said.
Wissanu Krea-ngam, the deputy prime minister in charge of legal affairs, said on Wednesday that the nationwide SOE is necessary as there is a risk that people would just migrate to cities without the SOE in place.
Wissanu added that the benefit of the SOE is the unification of authorities’ outbreak prevention efforts. There aren’t currently any other laws that can allow the government to unify like the SOE.
“If we use the Communicable Diseases Act, there will be 77 different standards because Thailand has 77 provinces with 70 checkpoints all using 70 different standards,” he said.
However, Somsak Roongsita, the NSC’s secretary-general, said lawmakers are currently coming up with new laws to replace the emergency decree but there aren’t any valid alternatives right now.
Special arrangements
The CCSA said on Wednesday that all foreign businesspersons and diplomats will have to enter a mandatory 14 days state or alternate sate quarantine (ASQ) from now on.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is due to provide more details on the arrangements in the coming days.
Organizational quarantine
Approximately 69,000 migrant workers from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar who already have a work permit and visa and the 42,000 that are still waiting for permission will be allowed to enter the Kingdom via “an organizational quarantine,” according to the CCSA.
Businesses and organizations which have gained permission from the CCSA will be allowed to employ migrant workers and place them in their own quarantine facility instead of the state quarantine.
The move will lower expenditures on state quarantine.
The Ministry of Labour will provide more information on the matter in the coming days, Dr Taweesin said.
Other groups
Other groups of foreigners that the CCSA has approved include:
- Foreign exhibitors will be allowed to enter Thailand via ASQ to promote meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions in the country, the CCSA said. The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau will provide more details on the measures in the coming days.
- Foreign production crews will be allowed to enter via ASQ to promote tourism. Since 2016, about 600-700 movies are being produced each year in Thailand, and in 2019, 740 movies were produced by foreign production houses, generating an income of 4.86 billion baht for the country.
- Medical tourism will resume with ASQ as well since 30,000 foreign tourists have already stated their intention to do so.
- About 7,000 foreigners with the “Thailand Elite Card” will be allowed to enter the country via ASQ. The Ministry of Tourism & Sports will provide more detail in the coming days.
