Construction worker housing facilities in Bangkok and nearby provinces, as well as in four provinces in the deep south of Thailand, will be closed for one month, to curb the accelerating spread of COVID-19, according to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha today (Friday).
The provinces in the vicinity of Bangkok include Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon, while the four southern provinces are Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla.
The measures come amid increasing infections in these areas, especially at worker housing facilities, and a hospital bed shortage.
There had also been a proposal to put Bangkok under complete lockdown, which was rejected.
“We are not using the term ‘full closure’ or ‘lockdown’, which would have been too much, but temporary measures are needed, especially for clusters, which are under close supervision,” said Mr. Prayut.
Compensation for workers will be provided, especially for those hired by the state, he added.
100 more ICU beds will be added, while a request will be made for people to limit their travel from next week, the prime minister said, while emphasizing that no travel restrictions are being imposed.
There have been around 3,000 – 4,000 daily new infections over the past week, higher than the average of about 2,000 over the past month.
