"SONGKHLA"

The Songkhla private sector has proposed the “Dan Nok Sandbox” initiative to reopen the province to cross-border trading with Malaysia.

The pandemic is having such a monstrous impact on Hat Yais travel industry that as many as nine tour guides have committed suicide since 2019 and more than 600 in the Songkhla district have lost their jobs.

Merchants at Hat Yai’s Kim Yong market are ready to welcome a large number of shoppers after Covid-19 measures were relaxed in Songkhla province. Virus prevention measures are to be strictly adhered to while most of the merchants have been vaccinated.

Seals in Songkhla Zoo are ready to welcome visitors with a special "volleyball show". Staff are preparing for the reopening of the zoo in 14 days when Covid-19 measures are eased.

Immigration Division 6 set up a committee on Wednesday to investigate the case of an officer asking for a monthly fee from an immigrant in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district.

Songkhla is planning to launch the “Dannok Sandbox” scheme to help boost the economy of Sadao district, which sits on the border with Malaysia.

A pharmacy in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district has already started selling rapid antigen test kits after the Public Health Ministry approved the use of these kits earlier this week to combat long queues for RT-PCR tests.

Songkhla province in the South of Thailand went into high alert on Monday and announced maximum control measures for 30 days after hordes of workers began crossing the border into Malaysia.

Songkhla health officials have closed Koh Noo and Koh Maew (Cat and Rat islands) from June 15 to 28 amid fears that a pending invasion of tourists could spread Covid-19.

Photos of Buddhist monks wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) suits while chanting at a funeral have gone viral on social media since last week.

Soldiers from the Fifth Infantry Regiment under the Fourth Army Area were monitoring the border in Songkhla's Sadao district to prevent smuggling of migrant workers from Malaysia on Wednesday.

The owner of a pub in Songkhla province has been arrested for violating regulations to control the spread of Covid-19.