Govt relaxes Phase 5 business re-opening and focuses 3 areas to promote economic recovery
The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) meeting headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, as the Covid-19 pandemic taskforce’s head, has relaxed the business re-opening under Phase 5 as follows, with effective from 1 July.
1 Schools and educational institutions both public and private owned.
2 Department stores, shopping malls, and community malls – no capped times for open and close.
3 Services such as pubs, bars, karaokae shops or those entertainment areas are allowed to open until 12 am night time while the sale of alchohol can be offered during 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 12am. Capped numbers of visitor with estimated 4 square meter per person or table space of at least 2 metres or with partition with 1.5 metre height.
4 Game and internet shops – For children age less than 15 years, 2 shifts are allowed (week days during 2pm to 8pm and weekend during 10am to 8pm); for children age 15-18 years 2 shifts are allowed (week days during 2pm to 10pm and weekend during 10am to 10pm); and over 18 years old persons are not restricted.
5 Massage parlours and similar type of this services – those hygiene preventive measures and Thai Chana app register are imposed.
Dr Charas Suwan-wehla, head of Economic and Social Impact Consulting Committee under the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), told that the following 3 key areas will be submitted to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s consideration to alleviate the impacts resulting from the Covid-19 virus spread.
1 To minimize the unemployment problem and speed up those relevant government projects in relation to provide supports in forms of various long term hiring programs in communities, new graduate employment, and necessary upskill or reskill courses for labor workforces such as digital literacy and modern agricultural technologies. If all goes as planned, it will then boost up economic activities across nationwide and household income contribution. In connection with the national economic and social recovery budget of Baht 400 billion, the Office of National Economics and Social Development Council acts as the reviewing committee of the approved grants to those projects and programs that are entitled to the budget.
2 As the global pandemic has been prolonged and the concern over second wave virus spreading in some countries, the government reiterated the public awareness of this updates and the social distancing preventive measures are encouraged to keep our nation of well-recorded and non-infected patients in the past 30 days.
3 To expedite the industrial sector which is crucial part of economic activities in Thailand with more than Baht 700 billion investment todate, the government should consider allowing those overseas businessmen, investors, acedamic and experts to come into Thailand with strict control measures.
