Daily new COVID-19 infections in Thailand increased to three today, as the CCSA pleaded with the Thai public to comply fully with all the regulations, in order to maintain the single-digit infection rate for the next 10 days, so the country can move to the next stage of lockdown relaxation.
At today’s news briefing, CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin said, from tomorrow until May 12th, the CCSA will assess the lockdown relaxation and compliance with the associated measures by businesses and those involved in leisure activities, after which the CCSA will decide whether Thailand can move to the next level of relaxation, which involves in the reopening of big businesses catering to large numbers of people.
He said the tentative date for such a relaxation is May 17th “if there are no changes in the new infection trend,” noting that whether shopping malls reopen depends more on the public and business operators than on the Government.
The three new infections today are a 59-year old woman who is reported to have been in close contact with returnees from Malaysia and two Thai workers, under state quarantine, who returned from Kazakhstan recently.
The new infections have taken the accumulated cases in the country to 2,992. The death toll remains at 55 and accumulated recoveries total 2,772 with 165 still in hospital.
Worldwide, new infections today were 95,565, bringing the global total of infections to 3,822,860. The single day death toll was reported at 6,750. The United States tops the worldwide infection list, with 1,263,092 total infections, including 25,000 new cases today.
Dr. Taweesin said that Public Health Permanent Secretary, Dr. Sukhum Kanchanapimai, has recommended that the restriction on arrivals from abroad be strictly maintained, as well as the current lockdown restrictions.
Dr. Sukhum said that congestion on mass transit systems, including underground and sky trains, could be eased by the staggering of working hours and working from home, according to the Prime Minister, adding that the Ministry of Public Health has proposed the development of COVID-19 test kits, so that up to 6,000 people per million, or 400,000 Thais can be tested for the virus, as well as 85,000 people classified as being at high-risk.
