99 per cent of Bangkokians wear face masks in public, says survey

The survey by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, and Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT) at Thammasat University, used artificial intelligence to monitor the wearing of face masks in public places in real time.

“We have processed the data from 11,894 people from 30 areas in 28 districts of Bangkok,” Prof Dr Thanarak Theeramankhong of SIIT said on Sunday.

“The majority of people were wearing face masks correctly, while about two in 1,000 people did not wear face masks, and about four in 1,000 people wore them incorrectly -- their masks did not fully cover their noses and mouths.”

Thanarak added that the survey found eight districts in Bangkok had 100 per cent of the samples wearing face masks in public. They were: Yannawa, Minburi, Phasi Charoen, Phra Nakhon, Bang Khor Laem, Don Muang, Chatuchak, and Khlong Toei.

“We also found that people tend to not wear face masks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday compared to Monday to Thursday. Also, the wearing of face masks tended to drop in the evening compared to the morning periods,” he said.

Dr Apisamai Srirangsan, assistant spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said that “the survey only monitors the wearing of face masks in public places, but people should wear face masks whenever they are in close contact with others, such as in the workplace or with family members”.

“Besides wearing face masks, people are advised to maintain social distancing, separate their personal items and wash their hands regularly to limit the spread of Covid-19,” she added.