State Railways of Thailand (SRT) acting governor Worawut Mala has ordered all stations, especially Hua Lam Pong, to boost cleaning of all areas.

Among the measures is spraying disinfectant at spots frequently touched or used by passengers, such as toilets, ticket counters, inside passenger trains, seats and hand rails. The SRT has also provided masks to its staff.

Bangkok Expressway and Metro as well as the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand have also vastly strengthened cleaning on the Blue Line and Purple Line mass transit routes.

Thai Airways Internationalpresident Sumeth Damrongchaitham said the airline has already stepped up a host of hygienic measures on board its planes to ensure passenger confidence.

Meanwhile, retailers are also alert, ramping up preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus at their branches nationwide.

The measures implemented include providing hand gels at entrances; sanitising points or spots frequently touched or used by shoppers, such as buttons in elevators, faucets and door knobs; spraying disinfectant in elevators and toilets; sanitising shopping baskets and carts; and making sure there is ample supply of liquid soap in the toilets. Retailers have also provided masks to their staff and briefed them on the virus and how to deal with the situation.

Thai Airways workers in protective hazmat suits demonstrated the spraying of disinfectants and cleaning inside a plane today (January 28) to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus to increase confidence among the airline’s passengers.

All 16 THAI flights that return from China will be sprayed with disinfectants in accordance with Public Health Ministry and World Health Organisation standards to ensure that passengers continue using their flights.

The airline will begin spraying Calla 1452 disinfectant to kill germs in the aircraft for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus, said Cherdphan Chotikhun, executive vice president of the Technical Department.

Calla 1452 will be sprayed in plane cabins and cockpits for 45 minutes at a time, with 30 minutes for sterilisation, while the air filtration system will filter out 99.99 per cent of bacteria on the plane.

The anti-coronavirus spray will be used onboard all flights returning from China, consisting of nine Thai Airways and seven Thai Smile flights.

The SET Index closed at 1,513.26 today (January 28), a decrease of 10.89 points, or 0.71 per cent, compared to the previous day.

The daily trade volume was Bt67.11 billion, with an index high of 1,535.23 and a low of 1,507.36.

Tisco Research predicted the SET Index would remain under pressure, but that it was expected to be less severe than Monday’s plunge of 2.89 per cent.

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed at 23,215.71, down 127.80 points, or 0.55 per cent, and South Korea’s Kospi closed at 2,176.72, down 69.41 points, or 3.09 per cent. China’s Shanghai SE Composite, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and Taiwan’s TaiEx were closed for Chinese New Year holidays.

The regulation states that researches would be conducted on the effects of cannabis in medicines, cosmetics, and herbs in line with government’s policy to boost the country’s production competitiveness.

“Preliminary, this regulation allows the cultivation of cannabis plants by individuals and corporation, subject to the conditions on trade and possession ” Traisulee explained.

“The regulation also states that cannabis plants can be grown at the maximum of one rai per household” she said, adding that “Growers must be licensed, and grow only species specified in the new regulation”.

The amount of PM 2.5 dust particles in Phayao province today (January 28) was measured at 104 microgrammes per cubic metre, while PM 10 dust particles were put at 124 microgrammes.

Phayao Hospital director Jiraporn Patraranuthaporn said the hospital is advising patients to use masks to tackle the toxic dust problem.

“The number of respiratory patients is increasing. Wildfire and the burning of weeds in agricultural areas still occur in Phayao, because there is no announcement to ban the burning of crops yet,” she said.

Pattaya City Police Station sub-inspector Pol Lt-Colonel Saichai Khamjulla said that after he was informed about the motorcycle accident, he and a Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation rescue team went to inspect the scene immediately.

“At the scene, we found the body of Striyak Rinat Yuryevich, 35. A black Suzuki Skydrive motorcycle lay on the road about 50 metres from his body. We covered the body with white cloth,” he said.

“During an investigation, we found skid marks on the road, while on the traffic island we found part of a nearby betel tree trunk, which had bloodstains.”

Saichai added that police are checking CCTV cameras to find the exact cause of death because no one witnessed the accident.

He instructed the rescue team to keep the body at Bang Lamung Hospital for relatives to perform a religious ceremony.

This comes as the Department of Disease Control identified the high trend of fever from the beginning of the year. As of January 20, there were 16,348 cases reported nationwide and 1 death.

There have also been fears over the novel coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, and is spreading worldwide.

School director Prayat Boonpor said local health officials advised him to close the school after such a large number of students in various classes were hit by influenza. The school is being thoroughly cleaned and classrooms sterilised during the two days.

Disease Control Department director-general Dr Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoen said his department has been monitoring influenza.

Influenza affects more people during January to March and in the early winter. The age group with the highest morbidity rate is 1 day-4 years, followed by 25-34 year-olds and those aged 7-9.

Some areas have been hit by a sudden drop in temperature. The body may not adjust to the cold weather in time, making it easy to get sick.

Influenza can be transmitted from exposure to mucus, saliva or phlegm in patients through coughing or sneezing. Flu can bring on severe muscle pain, headache and fatigue. However, patients normally heal in 5-7 days.

“The project will cover the construction of stations and train tracks for a total of 35.9 kilometres under a PPP contract,” she said.

“The government will be responsible for land reclamation while the private partner will foot the costs of construction, electrical system, train cars, operation as well as maintenance of the transit system from Minburi to Bang Khun Non stations”.

This project has an estimated value of Bt147.789 billion. Construction will take six years while the concession for train operation and land administration for commercial use is subjected to a term of 30 years.

The vice president said the company would conduct a survey and provide an evaluation of existing machineries at factories, aimed at improving combustion efficiency and support factories that are ready for a switch to clean energy, such as natural gas, which causes less pollution than fossil fuels.

It will focus on industrial plants in Bangkok and its suburb that meet the conditions on fuel type and consumption amount. Factories joining the project will have no financial obligations.

The registration period is set from Tuesday (January 28) to March 31. For further information, factory operators can call PTT’s Customer Service Centre at 02-537-2535-9 or email: dscng@pttplc.com.

“PTT will help preserve the environment by reducing pollution from hazardous ultra-fine dust particles and support the use of clean energy,” Wuttikorn said, adding that the company will continue developing better alternative energy for entrepreneurs and consumers in order to create a sustainable quality of life for Thai people.

The parade traces its history back 70 years when cholera hit Paknampo district, leading to suffering and death. Villagers prayed to the gods for help. The district’s “godfather” and “godmother” helped via the medium of writing a Chinese talisman, then burnt it and threw it into the water. Folklore has it that all the villagers who drank the water recovered. The parade has been held annually since then for people to pay their respects.

Last night residents of the district as well as tourists also witnessed a parade of a god and goddess of China.