Thais call for relief aid, more jabs ahead of new lockdown
The Department of Health posed the question "Are you ready for lockdown?" on its Facebook page on Thursday, triggering a flood of comments from members of the public.
As of 3pm, the post had received 1,400 likes, 478 comments and 1,900 shares.
The majority of commenters said they were ready for lockdown but added the government must launch Covid-19 relief measures and speed up the vaccination drive.
Meanwhile, the hashtag #ล็อกดาวน์ (“Lockdown) became the top Twitter trend on Thursday, after the Public Health Ministry proposed a 14-day semi-lockdown in high-risk zones.
Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan have been listed as high-risk zones since May 15.
Under the proposal, interprovincial travel will be banned while shopping and public transport hours will be limited in a bid to keep as many people at home as possible.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said it will consider the proposal at an emergency meeting on Friday.
Thailand’s daily caseload hit a new high of 7,058 infections and 75 deaths on Thursday, driven by the fast-spreading Delta variant which now accounts for over 50 per cent of new cases in Bangkok.
