The Thai cabinet has approved an 11 billion baht budget to fund the procurement of medical equipment, vaccines and medicines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and to compensate about one million public health volunteers for three months, from January to March next year.

Deputy Government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek said today (Wednesday) that about 4.3 billion baht of the 11 billion will be used to implement five projects, namely risk compensation for about a million public health volunteers,estimated at 1.5 billion baht, 503 million for the procurement of medical equipment, medicines and laboratories to fight the contagion, 1.8 billion for COVID-19 vaccines, 24 million for the development of laboratories for COVID-19 testing and 419 million baht to make other preparations to cope with the pandemic.

About 6.9 billion baht will be allocated for the treatment of infected people.

Ratchada said that the money is enough to meet the immediate demand and the spending can be checked and examined to ensure transparency and accountability.

Meanwhile, the governor of Thailand’s eastern province of Chon Buri ordered the lockdown of Bang Lamung district today, after 108 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in a single day.

Under the lockdown order, all shopping malls, except banks, super markets, food shops for take-out orders, drug stores, mobile phone service shops, electrical appliances sections, computers and construction materials, will close. This includesentertainment venues, schools, nurseries, cram schools, public swimming pools, amusement parks, cinemas, billiard halls, bowling alleys, beauty salons, public parks, game shops, massage parlors and spas.

All recreational activities and public gatherings, both in and out-doors, are banned.

Convenience stores can open up to 10pm and reopen at 5am.

Governor Pakkaratorn Thienchai said today that new infections increased by 108 cases today from 12 cases yesterday and 22 cases on Monday.