The 415,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine donated by the UK government will arrive in Thailand on Tuesday, according to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
“Today vaccines are leaving the UK to Thailand to help the country fight the Covid-19 pandemic,” the office said.
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health of Thailand reported that in the past 24 hours there were 18,901 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 743 of them in prisons.
Tourist room reservation in Phuket slumps after surge in new cases
Some 9,000 tourists have reserved hotel rooms in Phuket for August, lower than the expected 25,000 to 30,000 tourists in the second month of the Phuket Sandbox programme that started on July 1, the Phuket Tourist Association said.
“In July, the room reservation rate was at around 14,000 tourists and we expected the number to increase in August,” the association president, Phummikit Raktaengam, said on Monday. “However, due to new Covid-19 cases in the province the reservation rate has slowed down and is likely to miss the target of 30,000 tourists.”
Phuket reported 185 new cases in the fourth week of July (July 22-28). Of these, six were patients from the sandbox campaign while the rest were locals and imported cases from other provinces. This prompted the governor to bar entry into the province for vehicles from other provinces from August 3 to 16, as a part of Covid-19 preventive measures.
“The association predicts that the room reservation rate will rise again during the high season at the end of the year, which is the time when European and Scandinavian tourists will escape the cold weather in their countries to the warm beaches of Phuket,” said Phummikit. “Furthermore, as the Thai FDA has already approved the Sputnik V vaccine, we believe that more Russian tourists will visit the province at the year-end.”
CAAT allows Nok one-way Phuket- U-Tapao flights until August 5
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has allowed Nok Air Plc to operate one-way flights from Phuket Airport to U-Tapao Airport in Rayong province until August 5 to facilitate travel for passengers who need to leave Phuket, the airline CEO Wutthiphum Jurangkool said on Tuesday.
Last week, Phuket’s governor barred entry into the province for all vehicles coming from other provinces from August 3 to 16, as part of Covid-19 preventive measures. Exceptions will be made for medical, emergency and product transport vehicles
Rayong was recently added as a “dark-red” province due to the Covid-19 situation, prompting the CAAT to announce a ban on all flights to and from U-Tapao Airport after August 5.
Wutthiphum added that Nok operate five routes from U-Tapao — Chiang Mai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, and Phuket.
“The company had proposed that the governor and the CAAT allow passengers to fly out of Phuket from August 3 to 5 as there are still people who wish to leave the island,” he said.
“Nok will fly people to U-Tapao airport in Rayong and return to Phuket Airport with no passengers on board to pick up more travellers.”
Those who wish to book a flight from Phuket to U-Tapao during August 3-5, can visit nokair.com, call 1318 or download the Nok Air mobile application.
Thundershowers and isolated heavy rains forecast for most of Thailand
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Tuesday that a rather strong southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand, while a monsoon trough lies across Myanmar, the North of Thailand, upper Laos and upper Vietnam.
Isolated heavy rains are possible in the North, the Northeast, the Central, the East and the west coast of the South.
People in these areas should beware of the severe conditions that may cause flash floods, the department said.
Waves in the upper Andaman Sea are expected to rise 2-3 metres high and more than three metres high during thundershowers. All ships should proceed with caution and small boats should keep ashore, the department said.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees Celsius, highs of 29-34°C.
Northeast: Thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 24-27°C, highs of 32-36°C.
Central: Thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 24-27°C, highs of 33-35°C.
East: Thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 24-28°C, highs of 31-35°C; waves two metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-26°C, highs of 30-34°C; waves 1-2 metres high and two metres high during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 21-27°C, highs of 29-33°C; waves 2-3 metres high and over three metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 26-28°C, highs of 33-35°C.
Thailand recorded 18,901 Covid-19 cases and 147 deaths on Tuesday
Ministry of Public Health reported on Tuesday (August 3) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 18,901 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 743 of whom have been found in prisons.
Death toll increased by 147, while 18,590 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
Cumulative cases in the country are at 652,185 with 5,315 total deaths.
Rising demand, natural disasters will boost price of agricultural goods, predicts BAAC
A study conducted by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) has learned that the price of agricultural products is likely to rise due to increased export demands and natural disasters in other countries.
The price of white rice with 15 per cent moisture, which currently goes for 8,419-8,465 baht/tonne is expected to rise by 0.30 to .84 per cent thanks to government-to-government sales agreements with China, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
Similarly, the price of cassava is expected to rise 0.51 to 2.54 per cent from its current price of 1.98-2.02 baht/kilo due to the baht’s depreciation. Demand for cassava has also surged in China because the country’s worst flooding in 80 years has wiped out cornfields.
Raw sugar, meanwhile, which is going at 12.79-13.17 baht/kg can expect a boost of 1.5-4.5 per cent as China is expected to import more sugar. There is concern that Brazil, one of the world’s largest sugar producers, will not be able to meet its orders this year because frost damaged many sugarcane fields in mid-July.
Meanwhile, the price of oil palm, currently standing at 6.27-6.31 baht/kg is expected to rise 0.12-0.87 per cent due to an increase in demand from India, the world’s largest consumer of palm oil.
However, the price of palm oil is expected to move in a small range owing to pressure from the global price of crude oil, which is expected to drop as the US boosts its production.
Meanwhile, jasmine rice, corn with a moisture content of less than 14.5 per cent, raw rubber sheets, white shrimp and beef have been affected by virus-control measures, resulting in a drop in domestic demand and subsequent drop in prices.
Covid-19 slamming factory capacity and exports: FTI Poll
The Covid-19 crisis has triggered a serious labour shortage in factories, hitting Thailand’s main economic engine – exports – hard, according to CEOs surveyed by the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
The FTI surveyed 166 executives from 45 industry groups and 75 provincial industry councils on the topic of managing labour problems during the pandemic.
The survey found that the employment rate during the Covid-19 crisis had remained about same as before the crisis, at around 53.6 per cent.
However, labour shortages are currently affecting 45.2 per cent of factories, resulting in a 30 per cent drop in production capacity.
Capacity has reduced by 30-50 per cent in 20.5 per cent of factories and more than 50 per cent in 7.8 per cent of factories.
The top three causes of labour shortages in the industrial sector were found to be:
1. Temporary closure of factories as workers undergo quarantine with temporary (51.8%).
2. Factories can’t find enough Thai labour (49.4%).
3. Strict travel controls for migrant workers (41.6%).
Transport Co suspends all interprovincial bus services
The Transport Company will suspend all interprovincial bus services from Tuesday (August 3) in compliance with semi-lockdown restrictions imposed by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
Transport Co president Sanyalux Panwattanalikit announced the suspension of services in the North, Northeast, East and South regions until the restrictions are lifted. The CCSA has extended the semi-lockdown travel restrictions in Dark Red provinces until August 31 in a bid to reduce soaring daily infections.
Passengers who bought tickets in advance can contact Transport Co ticket offices nationwide to receive a refund or postpone their trip until the suspension is lifted.
PM receives donation of AstraZeneca vaccine from UK
Covid-19 vaccine donated by the UK government was handed over to Thailand on Monday, in a ceremony overseen by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Pictures posted on the Thai Khu Fah Facebook page showed the UK Embassy, represented by Charge d’Affaires Evan Jones, ceremonially handing over 415,040 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Prayut.
The prime minister gave a thank-you speech to the UK government, expressing his appreciation of the 400-year-old friendship between the two countries. “Donated vaccine from allied countries will essentially help Thailand to move forward with strength and stability, especially in terms of the economy,” said Prayut.
The 415,040 doses of vaccine will be delivered to Thailand tomorrow (Tuesday).
The ceremony comes on the same day that the US government officially gifted 1.5 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to Thailand, at a ceremony also overseen by Prayut.
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PM receives donation of AstraZeneca vaccine from UK
PM receives donation of AstraZeneca vaccine from UK
First month of Phuket Sandbox project
First month of Phuket Sandbox project
First month of Phuket Sandbox project
First month of Phuket Sandbox project
First month of Phuket Sandbox project
First month of Phuket Sandbox project
PM receives donation of AstraZeneca vaccine from UK
PM receives donation of AstraZeneca vaccine from UK
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