Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has approved a new 45 billion baht stimulus package, for distribution to 15 million Thai adults to spend with independent vendors, small retailers, convenience stores and shopping malls.
The 15 million people will each receive 3,000 baht, to be spent within three months to buy food or other necessities from outlets which have registered to join the programme.
The customers will, however, pay half the price of the products or services out of their own pockets, with the balance being met by the state. Spending will be capped at between 100-250 baht per head per day.
Mr. Danucha Pichayanant, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Board, said today that this stimulus package will generate about 90 billion baht of additional cash flow.
The CCSA also approved an employment measure to help about 260,000 new graduates for 12-months from October 1st.
Under the scheme, the state will bear 50% of the graduates’ salaries, with the rest being paid by their employers, on the condition that the employers must not lay off more than 15% of their current workforce.
The pay for will not exceed 7,500 baht for university graduates, 5,750 baht for graduates with a diploma or 4,700 baht for graduates from vocational colleges.
The funding of this package, amounting to 23 billion baht, will come from public sector borrowing.
Mr. Danucha said that the CCSA has not approved the Phuket “travel bubble” model because many business operators in the resort island are still concerned about the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 infections.
