The new Motorway No 6 between Bang Pa-in and Nakhon Ratchasima (Pak Chong to Sikhiu) will be officially opened on Wednesday by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in time for the Songkran holidays.
Motorists will be able to use the outbound part of the motorway for free from April 9 and the inbound direction from April 14 until April 19. The motorway will only be open to four-wheel vehicles.
Meanwhile, government spokesman Anucha Buraphachasri said the Cabinet has earmarked Bt6.63 billion in compensation for people whose land was expropriated for the Bang Pa-in-Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) motorway. Those dissatisfied with their compensation can file an appeal with the Transport Ministry, he added.
So far, there are only 361 people who have not received their compensation worth Bt415 million, which will be handed out in fiscal 2022.
The Department of Highways has confirmed that there has been no problem in expropriating land for the motorway
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday confirmed that people can leave red-zone provinces freely to return to their hometowns over the Songkran holidays. However, he warned against socialising or drinking in crowded areas over the holiday period (April 10-15), since Covid-19 is still spreading.
Bangkok and its four surrounding red-zone provinces – Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan – have been hit by new cluster infections linked to entertainment venues in the capital’s Thong Lor area.
Anutin said people must make lifestyle adjustments to prevent the virus from spreading over Songkran, including staying at home with their family and avoiding crowds.
In red-zone areas, restaurants and entertainment venues are banned from serving alcohol, holding performances or parties and must close by 9pm.
Anutin said the situation had not yet reached a point where people travelling from red zones would face mandatory testing before departure or 14-day quarantine on arrival in their home provinces. However, he urged people not to share glasses or plates and warned that using the same ice bucket could result in becoming infected. Anutin added that the cluster of 240 infections linked to nightspots in Thong Lor was unacceptable.
Parliament president Chuan Leekpai led other lawmakers to place flowers at the feet of the King Rama I statue on Bangkok’s Tri Phet Road to mark Chakri Day on Tuesday.
Chakri Day is marked on April 6 every year to commemorate the founding of the Chakri Dynasty by King Rama I in 1782.
Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang visited the inoculation site in Thong Lor, where 4,200 doses of Covid-19 vaccines are being administered to 2,100 people working in at-risk venues.
Persons between the ages of 18 and 59 will be targeted.
Biosafety units have also been stationed in the area to conduct Covid-19 tests.
In a bid to contain the spread of the virus, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration closed all entertainment venues in Khlong Toei and Wattana (Thong Lor and Ekkamai) districts until April 19.
Also included in the lockdown are entertainment venues in Bang Khae, where several cases were detected.
However, only sites where infections were found in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang, Phra Nakhon, Phasi Charoen and Lat Phrao areas have been ordered shut.
A virologist has warned that Thailand could suffer third and fourth waves of Covid-19 infections following the latest outbreak in and around Bangkok.
On Tuesday, the outbreak centred on entertainment venues in Bangkok’s Thong Lor reached 250 infections. Authorities responded by closing all pubs and nightspots in the area for two weeks. Dr Yong Poovorawan, a virologist at Chulalongkorn University, predicted that Covid-19 cases will rise sharply in 2021 since “people were becoming careless about the virus risk”.
Covid-19 is thought to spread quickly in the enclosed spaces of entertainment venues, where people often have to huddle close and shout to be heard over loud music. Moreover, party goers often visit more than one venue per night, increasing risk of transmission.
Yong said much money and effort would be spent combating the outbreak over the upcoming Songkran holiday, when millions travel to their hometowns to party and be with their families.
The virologist is an advocate of rapid vaccination to solve the crisis but said at current rates of vaccination it could take Thailand two years to reach herd immunity. In the meantime, the country risked being hit by third and fourth waves of Covid-19, he said.
As of April 2, only 0.3 per cent of Thailand’s population (204,642 people) have been vaccinated since the inoculation programme launched on February 28, according to Bloomberg.
Thailand has laid out its case for promotion to tier 1 in this year’s Trafficking in Persons Report as the government seeks to remove US restrictions on key exports.
The government delivered a report on Thailand’s anti-human trafficking performance (TIP report) for the year 2020 to the US Embassy on February 2, followed by a progress report on April 3.
Thailand has been in tier 2 of the US TIP report for three years in a row, having been promoted from the tier 3 blacklist after tightening measures against human trafficking in its seafood and textile industries. However, seafood, sugarcane and garments remain on the US list of Thai exports suspected of being produced using child or forced labour.
In its latest report in 2019, the United States said Thailand had made a moderate advance in eliminating the worst forms of child labour, but found children were still working in the garment, agricultural and seafood-processing sectors.
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha had given serious attention to solving the human trafficking problem covering all dimensions, government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek said on Tuesday.
This year’s report shows Thailand has stepped up measures against the problem by using statistics on arrests and legal punishment, and by passing Asia’s first National Plan of Action on Business and Human Rights, said Ratchada.
Meanwhile, human trafficking cases are being prosecuted faster with the investigation timeframe reduced from 118 days in 2015 to 70 days in 2020, she added. Thailand had also worked with civil society networks to establish a centre to help migrant workers who encounter problems at work, Ratchada said.
On Monday, a dozen Thai industry associations signed non-binding pacts to eradicate child and forced labour from their supply chains.
Bangkok authorities decided on Monday evening to temporarily shut down all night venues in three areas of the capital after several proved to be Covid-19 hotspots as of Saturday.
Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang announced at 8.30pm on Monday that the Communicable Disease Committee had decided to close all entertainment venues in Khlong Toei, Wattana (Thong Lor and Ekkamai) and Bang Khae districts until April 19.
The authorities have been assessing the situation over the past three days and have so far examined 1,177 cases in the Khlong Toei and Wattana (Thong Lor and Ekkamai) areas. Of them, 118 have tested positive, 329 negative and 720 cases are awaiting results. Meanwhile, 27 people were found infected in the Bang Khae area.
Entertainment venues quickly became Covid hotspots because bargoers have been pub hopping and musicians moving from one venue to another.
For instance, on March 13 a university student contracted the virus, but then on March 16, the student went to the Chobdao Prangpraw Na KomKueng pub in Pathum Thani’s Rangsit area, where five more cases were found. On the same night, the student went to Booze Up shop in Pathum Thani, where six cases were found.
Separately, on March 17 eight Covid-19 cases were found at the Moon Bar in Nonthaburi.
A group of five musicians began getting ill on March 22 and tested positive for the virus on March 26. Their movements were tracked as follows:
March 14: Huarannam shop in Bangkok’s Petchkasem 81
March 16: The Lounge, Nakhon Pathom
March 17: Mary Sanambinnam, Nonthaburi
March 18: Lert Lhao, Phutthamonthon Sai 2
March 19: Next 69 in Bua Khwan Market, Nonthaburi
March 20: Next Studio, Khao San Road, Bangkok
Seven Covid-19 cases were detected at The Lounge in Nakhon Pathom, five of whom were visitors, one staff member and one close contact.
Meanwhile, the following venues in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area and Chatuchak proved to be clusters:
Krystal Club Thonglor25: 21 cases (11 visitors, three close contacts of the visitors and seven members of staff)
Baan Phahol Café & Bar, Chatuchak: Three cases (two visitors and one close contact)
Ekamai Beer House, Sukhumvit Soi 63: Eight cases (two visitors and six close contacts)
BAR BAR BAR and Dollar Bangkok, Thong Lor: Five cases (four visitors and one close contact)
Cassette Music Bar and Pub Dirty, Ekkamai: Three cases, all visitors.
Air quality in Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai provinces hit unsafe levels on Tuesday morning, the Centre for Air Pollution Mitigation reported.
Thailand’s standard for safe levels of PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) is 50 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3), though the World Health Organisation sets it at 25 μg/m3.
PM2.5 readings in the different regions of the country as of Tuesday morning:
North: 7 to 64 μg/m3.
Northeast: 8 to 33 μg/m3.
Central and West: 9 to 38 μg/m3.
East: 8 to 27 μg/m3.
South: 12 to 27 μg/m3.
Bangkok and its vicinity: 21 to 64 μg/m3.
Air quality hit unsafe levels in 15 districts of the capital, Bangkok Air Quality and Noise Management Division said.
Bangkok’s Wang Thonglang district had the highest PM2.5 reading at 64 μg/m3, followed by Sai Mai (63 μg/m3) and Din Daeng (62 μg/m3).
The PM2.5 situation can be followed on Air4Thai.com and bangkokairquality.com websites, or via Air4Thai and AirBKK smartphone applications.
After Japan’s Ambassador Kazuya Nashida tested positive for Covid-19 on April 3, MPs and senators who had attended an award ceremony in the envoy’s residence on March 22 also had themselves tested.
So far, none of the Thai lawmakers who attended the event have tested positive.
The event was held to present a certificate of appreciation to former senator Monthian Buntan, who was also formerly president of the Thai-Japanese Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Meanwhile, Senator Pramon Sutivong said he would attend the next Parliamentary meeting on Wednesday and Thursday as no specific guidelines have been issued in relation to this case.
Separately, Michelin-starred street food joint Jay Fai has closed temporarily for a deep clean as the ambassador had eaten there on April 1.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Tuesday reported 250 new cases.
Of the 245 domestic cases, 90 had been contracted locally, 155 were found via proactive testing, and five cases were overseas arrivals in quarantine.
Most of patients on Tuesday were detected in Bangkok (156), followed by Narathiwat (30) and Samut Prakan (20).
Of the 5 returnees, they were from madagascar, UAE, Pakistan, Czech and Turkey.
Authorities in Chonburi announced that 18 patients found recently related to Krystal Club in Bangkok’s Thong Lor area.
The 18 cluster cases comprised 14 Thais and four Japanese.
Meanwhile 108 patients have recovered and been discharged.
As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 29,571. Of these, 26,415 had been contracted locally, including 16,343 who were found via proactive testing, while 3,156 were returnees.
So far, 27,948 have recovered and been discharged, 1,528 patients are being treated, and 95 have died (35 in the second outbreak).
According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 132.4 million (up by 534,856), 106.69 million of whom have recovered, 22.84 million are active cases (98,779 in severe condition) and 2.87 million have died (up by 7,255).
Thailand ranks 114th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 31.49 million, followed by Brazil 13 million, India 12.68 million, France 4.83 million and Russia 4.58 million.
Aswin Kwanmuang
