The government is considering the possibility of lowering the COVID-19 alert level and easing some restrictions after assessing the current situation.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charvirakul has disclosed that the ministry may decrease its COVID alert level from 4 to 3 because the number of severe cases and fatalities has fallen in recent weeks and the current outbreak is partially under control. He added that the ministry will recommend that the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) adjust the color zone designations for several provinces as well.
According to Anutin, the Ministry of Public Health is also looking to relax other measures to help revitalize the economy, including the Test & Go scheme, which might resume as soon as next month. The Department of Disease Control estimates that scheme could be reintroduced in February if daily infections continue to fall, while the list of approved countries from which travelers can enter Thailand without being quarantined will be determined by their respective circumstances.
Anutin added that the next CCSA meeting on Thursday (20 Jan) will also consider the prospect of launching additional sandbox programs in the provinces of Samut Prakan, Chonburi, Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai. However, said nightclubs, pubs and bars will remain closed until authorities can assure that these places will not become high-risk zones that create COVID clusters upon reopening. (NNT)
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