Ministry of Public Health reported on Wednesday (December 29) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 2,575 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 40 of whom have been found in prisons.
Death toll increased by 17, while 2,695 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,217,287 – 2,162,138 of whom have recovered, 33,502 are still in hospitals and 21,647 have died.
Separately, another 68,981 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 197,635 their second shot and 197,528 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 103,439,403.
According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 283.22 million on Wednesday, 251.83 million of whom have recovered, 25.96 million are active cases (88,979 in severe condition) and 5.43 million have died (up by 6,044).
Thailand ranks 24th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 54.09 million, followed by India with 34.81 million, Brazil with 22.25 million, the UK with 12.34 million and Russia with 10.44 million.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Wednesday (December 29) that the rather strong high-pressure system from China covers upper Thailand. Cool to cold weather and strong winds are forecast in the areas. Mountaintops in the North and the Northeast are cold to very cold with temperature ranging from 6 to 14 °C. People should take care of their health due to variable weather.
The Department also mentioned that the moderate northeast monsoon prevails over the Gulf of Thailand, resulting in 1-2 meters high waves in the Gulf. All ships should proceed with caution.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours is as follows:
North: Cool to cold weather in the morning; temperature lows of 14-19 degrees and highs of 29-34 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 6-12 degrees Celsius.
Northeast: Cool to cold weather with strong winds; temperature lows of 15-21 degrees and highs of 29-31 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 9-14 degrees Celsius.
Central: Cool weather in the morning with strong winds; temperature lows of 20-23 degrees, highs of 31-32 degrees Celsius.
East: Cool weather in the morning with strong winds; temperature lows of 22-24 degrees, highs of 32-33 degrees Celsius; waves a meter high and more than 1 meter high offshore.
South (east coast): Thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 30-33 degrees Celsius; waves 1-2 meters high and 2 meters high during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees, highs of 32-34 degrees Celsius; waves a meter high and more than 1 meter high offshore.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy with strong winds; temperature lows of 24-26 degrees, highs of 31-34 degrees Celsius.
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the holding of a by-election to replace Bangkok MP Sira Jenjaka, whose parliamentary status was terminated by the Constitutional Court on December 22.
According to the Constitution, the position will be deemed vacant from the date the court’s ruling was read. Election for the post must be held by February 4.
The draft will be implemented on January 2, and the Election Commission will announce the date of the poll the following day.
The polling station and list of voters will be announced on January 4, and candidates will be able to register between January 6 and 10. If all goes to plan, the election should be held by January 30.
The Cabinet will not consider measures to promote the use of electric vehicles because the offers will have to first be reviewed by the National Electric Vehicle Board, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said on Tuesday.
The Finance Ministry has prepared special tax measures to promote the use of EVs in the country.
“As for measures to make EVs cheaper, we have to wait and see the final plan before we finalise the packages,” Arkhom said.
The Cabinet on Tuesday agreed to have the Doping Control in Sports Act amended as proposed by the State Council.
Gongsak Yodmanee, Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) governor, said the amendment is in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s requirements and is necessary to protect Thailand from being deprived of the right to host sporting events. This prohibition will cost Thailand a loss of up to 55 billion baht in 2022 alone.
However, if the amendment does go through, SAT will ask WADA to ease sanctions, especially the ban on raising the national flag in time for the Asian Games scheduled to be held in September 2022 in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.
The Cabinet on Tuesday accepted the Labour Ministry’s proposal to draft a law that will protect and improve the quality of life of informal workers.
More than 19 million people or 52 per cent of the country’s total workforce fall under the informal category, such as farmers, fishermen, vendors, merchants and taxi drivers to name a few.
The definition of an informal worker is a person above the age of 15 who does not come under the jurisdiction of labour law and is not insured under the Social Security Act.
This will be the first law that will protect informal workers and give them access to basic rights, occupation safety and fair employment.
People heading to the Northeast for New Year are invited to stop off at Sakon Nakhon’s Khong Ping Ngu service point and the beautiful Kham Hom Waterfall nearby.
The Highways Department said on Tuesday that the service point at 155+600km mark on Highway 213 on the Sakon Nakhon-Kalasin route has been improved to serve travellers during the holiday season.
The service point features restaurants, coffee shops and toilets, as well as shops selling Otop products and souvenirs. The area also has parking space for more than 30 cars.
After that visitors can travel another 200 metres to the famous Kham Hom Waterfall.
The Highways Department added that it is planning to set up a camping area for tourists so they can immerse themselves in nature in the cool weather.
Route 3: Bangkok – Rangsit – Ayutthaya’s Wang Noi district – Saraburi – Lopburi (Phaholyothin or Highway 1) – Nakhon Sawan’s Tak Fa district (Highway 11) – Phitsanulok
Route 4: Bangkok – Rangsit – Khlong Luang interchange (Phaholyothin Road or Highway 1) – Pathum Thani’s Chiang Rak Noi sub-district (Highway 3214) – Highway 347 – Highway 32 to the North
Route 5: Bangkok – Eastern Kanchanaphisek Road (Motorway 9) – Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University interchange – Ayutthaya’s Wang Noi district (Phaholyothin Road or Highway 1) – Rojana Road (Highway 309) – Highway 32 to the North
Northeast
Route 1: Bangkok – Saraburi (Phaholyothin Road or Highway 1) – Lopburi’s Muang Khom sub-district (Highway 21) – Lopburi’s Tha Luang district (Highway 2256) – Nakhon Ratchasima’s Dan Khun Thot district (Highway 2148) – Mittraphap Road or Highway 2 to Nakhon Ratchasima
Route 2: Bangkok – Ayutthaya’s Wang Noi district (Phaholyothin Road or Highway 1) – Saraburi – Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district – Nakhon Ratchasima’s Sikhiu district (Mittraphap Road or Highway 2) – Nakhon Ratchasima
Route 3: Bangkok – Nakhon Nayok’s Ban Na district (Highway 3051) – Saraburi’s Kaeng Khoi district (Highway 3222) – Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district (Mittraphap Road or Highway 2)
Take Highway 33 to get to Prachinburi’s Kabin Buri district or Sa Kaew’s Aranyaprathet district
Route 4: Bangkok – Chachoengsao (Highway 314 or 304) – Chachoengsao’s Phanom Sarakham district – Prachinburi’s Kabin Buri district – Nakhon Ratchasima’s Wang Nam Khiao district – Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Thong Chai district (Highway 304) – Nakhon Ratchasima
Route 5: Bangkok to Ayutthaya’s Wang Noi district (Phaholyothin Road or Highway 1) – Saraburi – Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district – Nakhon Ratchasima’s Sikhiu district (Mittraphap Road or Highway 2) – Motorway 6 (detour at KM65+200) – Nakhon Ratchasima
Following Thailands pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2065, the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) in collaboration with Thai-German Climate Programme – Policy, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, organised a symposium titled “COP26 Debrief: Global Future, Thai Future” on 16 December 2021 at the Ballroom, Centara Grand Hotel Central Ladprao, Bangkok, to disseminate and summarise the results of the 26th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 26).
This symposium also provided a forum for those involved to share their insights and strategies for action on climate change and was honoured to have the participation of representatives of the Energy Policy and Planning Office, Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, Office of the Board of Investment, and Bank of Thailand. More than 300 people from government agencies, the private sector, the educational sector, the public sector, media, and independent organisations attended the event.
In his keynote address, Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), stated: “Working on climate change comprises both carbon emissions and sequestration. MoNRE has an important mission in regard to sequestration in addition to being Thailand’s national focal point on climate change. Increasing the country’s forested and green areas by 55%, as specified in the 20-year national strategic framework, is an effort to increase the number of carbon sinks. Many ministries, including the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and other relevant sectors, must collaborate to reduce carbon emissions. All sectors must work together.”
“From now on, ONEP will continue to work closely with all relevant sectors in all forms to ensure Thailand’s operations are successful,” added Dr. Phirun Saiyasitpanich, Secretary-General of ONEP.
The forum noted that it was gratifying to see that many agencies have now begun to actively drive their work in carbon sequestration. The Ministry of Energy has amended the National Energy Plan to transition into the Energy Disruption era through the 4D + 1E scheme — Digitalization is adopting modern technology to increase energy efficiency and efficiency and to push Thailand to become an ASEAN energy center; Decarbonization is reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and coal use while increasing the production and use of electricity generated from solar cells, biomass, and biogas; Deregulation is unlocking regulations on electricity generation and trading to help prosumers reduce electricity purchase costs; Decentralization is the delegation of authority to local governments and the promotion of community energy management; and Electrification means fostering the electrification of everything, conducting and expanding the electric train network, and promoting the utilisation of electric vehicles (EV).
Meanwhile, the transport and transportation sector has shown its commitment to developing infrastructure to manage rail and waterway travel for people and goods. In the financial and investment promotion sectors, players have made efforts to promote and support green businesses, both through policy and infrastructure, such as the issuance of tax exemption measures for investment in renewable energy, greenhouse gas storage technology for the petrochemical industry, and encouraging large corporations to invest in small-scale agriculture, such as low-carbon rice cultivation. Also being encouraged is the domestic production of electric vehicles as well as investment in research and development.
H.E. Mr. Georg Schmidt
H.E. Mr. Georg Schmidt, the German Ambassador to Thailand, remarked, “There is an apparent contradiction between ecology and economy, but it’s not either/or. It is much more expensive to do nothing than to do something. The government can set the rules, so the transition is fair to everyone. We also need people for the change. Without the people, nothing would happen. It’s a challenge for Thailand. It’s a challenge for Germany. It’s a challenge for the world.
Varawut Silpa-archa
Mr. Varawut also addressed efforts to integrate climate change information and understanding into the education sector, which is an intriguing aspect. He also made the point that climate finance is critical to enabling conditions for Thailand’s transition to a low-carbon society. For more than a decade, Germany and Thailand have actively and continuously collaborated to combat climate change in numerous projects, and Germany will continue to support Thailand in the year to come, providing climate funds totalling up to 1.5 billion baht.
“Our thanks go to the German government for their ongoing assistance in working with Thailand and understanding Thai people. I sincerely hope that next year, when Thailand and Germany celebrate our 160th anniversary of friendship, good things will happen,” Mr. Varawut said.
Tourist Police Bureau’s “New Year New Normal 2022” campaign launched on Monday will see more security checkpoints set up nationwide with officers on hand to provide assistance and promote safer travel across Thailand.
Tourists will also be urged to download the “Tourist Police i lert u” smartphone application so they can seek help immediately.
The campaign was launched at an event presided over by Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn in Bangkok’s CentralWorld shopping centre on Monday.
Also attending was Tourist Police chief Pol Lt-General Sukhun Prommayon.
“This campaign was launched as a publicity measure for tourists, so they realise that Thai police, including the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Central Investigation Police, Immigration Bureau, Tourist Police volunteers and the private sector will proactively provide security during the New Year period,” Sukhun said.
He added that the “Tourist Police i lert u” application, which was launched on December 15, aims to prevent crime as it monitors tourists while they are travelling in Thailand, so police can jump to their assistance when required.
The application is linked to the 1155 Emergency Response Centre, which will dispatch police officers immediately. The call centre is available in English, Chinese, Russian, Japanese and Korean, and will next year support French, German and Arabic.
H.E. Mr. Georg Schmidt
Varawut Silpa-archa
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