Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he would propose to categorize COVID-19 as a communicable disease under surveillance and set aside a plan to declare it an endemic disease.
After his meeting with public health executives, Mr Anutin said that each day the country logged less than 5,000 new COVID-19 cases and few than 50 new fatalities related to the disease. Besides, more than 140 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered.
Therefore, the ministry supported the reopening of pubs, bars, karaoke shops and massage parlors today (June 1). Such entertainment places would close at midnight, he said.
Mr Anutin said that although their reopening could raise the number of new COVID-19 cases, their illnesses would not be severe. Provincial communicable diseases committees would assess their COVID-19 situations in a few weeks, he said.
Regarding Thailand’s planned declaration of COVID-19 as an endemic disease; Mr Anutin said he would wait for a relevant stance from the World Health Organization. For the time being, he said he would propose the National Communicable Diseases Committee consider COVID-19 as a communicable disease under surveillance similar to general communicable diseases. (TNA)
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