Companies asked not to lay off workers in time of anxiety
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak urged entrepreneurs not to lay off workers due to the Covid-19 outbreak and instructed the Ministry of Industry to distribute 10 million face masks within two months, at a meeting with ministry officials and representatives from major companies today (March 18).
“We want entrepreneurs to think about the impact on the employees' families if they lost their jobs. Companies should also take care of employees' health because the Ministry of Finance has issued measures to help Covid-19 victims,” he said.
He said that he would discuss with the Ministry of Finance on additional measures, while the Thai Bankers’ Association and Bank of Thailand (BoT) would meet on employees' welfare.
“Thailand is considered one of the world’s largest food production bases, so people do not need to hoard products because it is sufficient to meet demand. Furthermore, the country is not under lockdown,” he said.
To solve the shortage of surgical mask, he said the Ministry of Industry is currently accelerating cooperation with the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and manufacturers.
“We will supply 10 million face masks in two months with the first phase of distribution set for next week, as well as sanitiser hand-gels,” he said.
“The FTI will decide the points of distribution based on public access, such as PTT gas stations, convenience stores, and financial institutions”.
Somkid said he could not say how much longer the Covid-19 outbreak would persist, but expected it would be under control in two to three months.
“We must create confidence among people to avoid panic,” he added. “It is a good thing that Thais are aware of this issue, while we will ensure that they have plenty of foods, medicines, and drinks.”
Meanwhile, Suriya Jungrungreangkit, Minister of Industry said that the Cabinet had approved the Ministry's plan to produce 10 million cloth surgical face masks, adding that it was already cooperating with FTI and the textile industry.
“We will use good-quality clothes in line with the Ministry of Industry's instruction and accelerate the production process for the first phase of distribution next week,” he said.
“Also, producers of sanitiser hand gels have confirmed that they can meet market demand” Suriya said.
Somkid again urged people not to panic, reassuring the sufficiency of all consumer products.