Pattaya bureaucrats sat down to determine what will make Koh Larn a coronavirus-free “blue village” but didn’t come up with much.
Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome and Banglamung District Chief Wuttisak Singhadecho led the Sept. 2 powwow among deputies and administrators, spending most of their time rehashing the “blue village” concept proposed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha over a month ago.
Prayut on July 30 told governors of Thailand’s “dark red” coronavirus maximum and strict control zones that he wanted each province to create a “blue village” coronavirus-free zone that could be an example of how to rid each region of Covid-19.
Tiny Koh Larn, with only 700 families and limited access, at the time had no Covid-19 cases, although several popped up in the month since the blue village idea was floated. More than 70 percent of the island’s villagers have received vaccines. So Wuttisak nominated Koh Larn as Chonburi’s “blue village.”
The meeting was the first on the subject since July. But the meeting dismissed without any concrete plans or action, so Koh Larn today is just as non-blue as yesterday.
For its part, the island is doing little to stay coronavirus-free. It reopened Sept. 1 but doesn’t require any tourists to be vaccinated against Covid-19 nor show negative coronavirus test results. So there’s no way to know if Koh Larn truly is a Covid-19-free zone.
 |
 |
 |
