The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, with support from the military and Metropolitian Police Bureau, is setting up six checkpoints on outbound roads to prevent workers the leaving the capital for their home provinces, BMA permanent secretary Silapasuay Raweesangsoon said on Monday. Bangkok Post

Checkpoints set up to prevent workers returning home

Construction workers return to their camp in Laksi district in Bangkok on Sunday. (Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, with support from the military and Metropolitian Police Bureau, is setting up six checkpoints on outbound roads to prevent workers the leaving the capital for their home provinces, BMA permanent secretary Silapasuay Raweesangsoon said on Monday.

Ms Silapasuay said this is in compliance with a Centre for the Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) order to ban movement of workers from construction sites and their camps in Bangkok and five adjacent provinces for 30 days from June 28, to prevent Covid-19 spreading to other provinces.

Staff from the BMA's department of law enforcement and district offices will work with metropolitan police and CCSA-assigned soldiers in manning the six checkpoints to prevent the movement of workers. They are:

1. A checkpoint on outbound Vibhavadi highway in front of Don Muang railway station in Don Muang district;
2. A checkpoint on outbound Suwinthawong road at an intersection under the Maha Nakhon expressway in Nong Chok district;
3. A checkpoint on outbound Bang Na-Trat highway at the kilometre 4.5 Bang Chak petrol station in Bang Na district;
4. A checkpoint on outbound Boromratchonnani road under the bridge over the intersection with Phuttamonthon Sai 3 road in Thawi Watthana district;
5. A checkpoint on Phetkasem road in front of Nong Khaem district office; and
6. A checkpoint on outbound Phra Ram 2 road in front of a PTT petrol station in Bang Khun Thien district.

The six checkpoints will start operating at 4pm on Monday, the city clerk said.

Ms Silapasuay said the BMA's department of public works will coordinate with owners of construction projects to cease construction, seal off workers' camps and ban the movement  of workers.

The city's department of health will support the Ministry of Labour in active case-finding at workers' camps and at construction sites.