PM: People need to wear masks when out in public
People should wear face masks while in public and among gatherings even though the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has eased prevention measures, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Thursday.
According to government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the premier is monitoring Thailand’s Covid-19 situation closely even though he is attending the 27th International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo until Friday.
Prayut urged educational institutions to watch over students as Covid-19 cases have increased slightly a week after schools reopened, Thanakorn said.
He said Covid-19 clusters were found in some boarding schools, adding that these schools have prepared areas for treating patients.
The prime minister also asked people to strictly adhere to disease prevention measures along with creating awareness on the issue among children in order to contain the spread of Covid-19 and enable children to attend school safely, he added.
The Public Health Ministry aims to ask the CCSA to do away with the mandatory face mask requirement in public places, such as parks.
Dr Jakrat Phittayawong-anon, chief of the Department of Disease Control’s Epidemiology Bureau, said that in the early phase of the no-mask measure, only people in non-high-risk groups would be allowed to take off their masks in areas such as public parks, and the measure would be implemented first in green and blue provinces.
“People in high-risk groups, such as the elderly aged over 60, those with chronic health problems and unvaccinated people will still be required to wear face masks and avoid visiting crowded areas,” he said.
A CCSA meeting last Friday approved the new colour coding of provinces from next month based on the Covid-19 situation.
Fourteen provinces have been added to the green or low-surveillance zone, namely Chai Nat, Phichit, Ang Thong, Nan, Maha Sarakham, Yasothon, Nakhon Phanom, Lampang, Amnat Charoen, Buriram, Trat, Surat Thani, Surin and Udon Thani.
Seventeen provinces will be classified as pilot tourism areas or blue zones – Bangkok, Krabi, Kanchanaburi, Chanthaburi, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nonthaburi, Narathiwat, Pathum Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phang-nga, Phetchaburi, Phuket, Rayong and Songkhla.
The 46 other provinces will remain in the yellow or high-surveillance zone.