Phuket hopes vaccine will put them back in the sun
Will Phuket ever turning the corner...?
Thailand's Phuket island used to vibrate with life. Before the pandemic, March was part of peak season and the resort's long white beaches were packed with tourists from Europe, Australia, North America and China.
At night, backpackers would flock to beach-front bars and on the hills stretching inland wealthy tourists would eat at five-star restaurants.
Today, Phuket is a ghost town. The shockwaves of Covid-19 have reduced daily visitor numbers from up to 50,000 down to just hundreds. But there is hope that plans to bring tourists back could change the fortunes of the beach town, and the country.
"If visitors come, we'll all make more money," says Tow Jaturaput, a 30-year-old taxi driver, whose main job is shuttling visitors to their hotels from the airport.
"Tourists have a lot of money, and we benefit from it too," he said, adding that today, there's simply not enough business for the resort to thrive.
The number of fares in a day for him is at an all time low.
"I'm not afraid of [contracting the virus] at all from the tourists. I want more people to come. I think most of us are ready."
Earlier this month, the Thai government announced a plan to kickstart tourism. The "area quarantine scheme", scheduled to begin in April, would allow vaccinated tourists to quarantine in specified hotels for only seven days.
Vaccinated tourists registered with the plan would fly to selected locations deemed safe for visitors. Tourist hubs like Koh Samui and Phuket are top of the list because they have their own airports.
According the tourism ministry, visitors would need to quarantine in a hotel room for the first three days, then if they continued to test negative, would be allowed out of their rooms at the resort.
Officials have not announced full details of the plan, but suggested that vaccinated tourists would theoretically be allowed to leave their hotels and explore some city areas after repeatedly testing negative. It's likely they would still be subject to monitoring and check-ins with authorities.
A ministry spokesperson said it's hoped the scheme will "help save our tourism partners and local communities" by allowing international arrivals "in line with the safety and health measures and create both direct and indirect income in each province and start the rehabilitation of Thai tourism".
The move comes after the government announced a "yacht quarantine programme" that would let tourists who can prove they don't have Covid-19 live aboard yachts or take cruises in Phuket. Koh Samui and Phuket hope to open fully to vaccinated tourists – without quarantine – by October and the government is aiming for a full reopening of the country by January 2022.
'Like a dead town'
The grounding of international flights in 2020 to contain Covid was a major blow to businesses across the country.
While Thailand's strict entry requirements and quarantine protocols have helped keep the country's Covid cases at just 26,000, and 85 deaths, it has had severe consequences for the economy, which in 2020 shrank by the biggest amount since the Asian financial crisis more than two decades ago.
A bit part of that was from the decline in tourism, which makes up a fifth of the country's GDP, including in jobs in transport, travel agencies, restaurants and hotels. In 2019 alone it was worth $60bn.
Although the borders reopened to foreign visitors in October, quarantine restrictions have deterred most tourists from returning in high numbers.
"I think the time spent in quarantine is the main issue for a lot of tourists," says Thibault Spithakis, a Phuket bar and restaurant owner and founder of Chalong Bay distillery, a spirit brand popular with tourists. "Because two weeks in quarantine is too time costly and many don't have the luxury to cover the costs of the quarantine. So reducing the quarantine time is interesting," he said.
A small group of people gather at a relatively empty Patong Beach in Phuket. Photograph: Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Getty Images
He said the pandemic had hit the tourism industry and the informal sector that relied on it.
"Today, 95% of places have closed," he said, adding that Phuket was designed to receive eight million tourists per year and was dependent on visitors.
"Now, it looks like a dead town," he said. "During the worst part, there were people lining up in the street for handouts from the local government,' he said. "So I think at this point it's okay to take a little bit of risk and try to accelerate the reopening of the economy. Safety is important, but the economic situation is very difficult for us and for people in Thailand generally."
'I'll be happy if people start coming back'
The proposed scheme to boost tourism comes as Thailand received its first batches of the AstraZeneca vaccine last Tuesday. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was the first person to be vaccinated, as some countries briefly paused the vaccine over safety fears.
"Today I'm boosting confidence for the general public," Prayuth told reporters at Government House as he got his shot.
The country has bought 61m doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Thailand's government spokesperson, Anucha Burapachaisri, told the Guardian that the country is hoping to open up the economy for tourists and foreign investment as long as the plan stays within the safety and travel guidelines of the World Health Organization.
But many are hoping life might return to normal once the government allows more people to safely travel to Thailand. For those working in tourism dependent jobs like Tow, the plan could be a game changer.
"I'm not sure if they [the government] will open up flights or not, or if this vaccine plan will work, but I'll be happy if more people start coming back."
In Phuket's sleepy streets, something has to change.
"I want people to know that we're ready for more people to start coming back," Tow says. "I hope the government starts letting more people back in."
TWO new coronavirus clusters have been found with one being at a factory in Bangkok's Bang Khun Thian district and the other at some construction camps in Samut Prakan province, Amarin TV said this morning (March 22, 2021).
Two factory workers were examined at Rachaphiphat Hospital on Friday (March 19), and doctors found that they had been infected with this feared disease.
Public Health officials then went to the factory and found that there were 215 people at risk with 37 of them at a high level and 178 low. By testing the former group 28 more cases were found taking the total to 30.
Meanwhile the Department of Disease Control Director-General Dr. Opas Karnkawinpongs said 23 workers were found infected at construction camps in Samut Prakan province after a Cambodian woman tested positive when she went to renew her work permit but she was asymptomatic.
Covid testing was held at her camp in Sukhumvit soi 117 and 16 cases were found, 10 Cambodians, four Thais and two Myanmar citizens.
After that proactive testing was conducted at nearby camps with over 600 tested on March 18 and 593 on March 19 leading to six new cases of infection being found, adding up to a total of 23 cases.
Earlier this morning the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration's (CCSA's) assistant spokeswoman Dr. Apisamai Srirangsan said there were 73 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours with 66 being domestic and seven from other countries as well as one additional fatality taking to the toll to 91.
Altogether 15,492 cases of infection have been found through proactive screening with the cumulative confirmed total reaching 27,876. Sixty-five more patients have been cured adding up to 26,663 who have been discharged from hospital while 1,122 are still undergoing treatment.
The patient who died is a 60-year-old Thai man who was at the last stage of lung cancer. He was admitted to hospital on March 15 for severe pneumonia and passed away on March 18 after suffering from acute cardiac arrest.
More than 90% of the population of Thailand want to see the country opened up to foreign tourists.
This is not just to get the tourism economy running but the whole economy, they said.
This will put money back in their pockets, reported Daily News.
The support for an open door policy came in a "Superpoll" survey conducted among 1,600 respondents from all backgrounds from 17th to 20th of March.
The poll had the umbrella of "Opening the country - getting out of crisis".
Also more than 90% of the population felt that Thais have the vaccine now and know how to live with the consequences of Covid and have the health personnel to cope.
But those 90% plus advocating the opening of the country also wanted to see an end to the political violence, the gravy train and corrupt politicians.
They wanted to see foreign governments not siding with the "mob" but promoting the opening of the country and economy.
The message was clear that people are fed up with violence and want to see economic stability return and the best way to do that was opening Thailand's doors again.
They may have to wait a while yet, however.
The Thai government has so far only announced cautious policies to reopen the country in October when it has been mooted that quarantine MIGHT be stopped.
For now foreign visitors must still quarantine for up to 10 days.
Senior citizens exercising at Lumpini Park in Bangkok. (Photo by Weerawong Wongpreedee)
Thailand's elderly population is growing rapidly.
The country is already considered an "ageing" society, meaning 10% of the population is aged 60 and over, and has been since 2005. It is transitioning to an "aged" society, with those aged 60 and over set to account for 20% of the population this year.
Thailand's trajectory sees it becoming a "super-aged" society in 2031, where those aged 60 and over make up 28% of the population.
These demographics present great challenges for policymakers and demand an urgency in planning.
Various studies have revealed Thailand is relatively low in the rankings for savings worldwide, with a study conducted by Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) in 2019 showing middle-income people in urban areas need to have savings of about 4.3 million baht per household to ensure they have sufficient cash to spend upon reaching the retirement age of 60.
The elderly in remote areas are estimated to need 2.8 million baht.
Given such figures, there are serious doubts about how many Thai families can afford to retire given insufficient savings.
SAVINGS PLANS LACKING
Thai households have a relatively low rate of savings, unlikely to meet future living requirements of the elderly population, said Jinanggoon Rojananan, deputy secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).
The socioeconomic survey of Thai households in 2019 by TDRI found only 120,000 families in Thailand had an income of more than 2.8 million baht -- 0.5% of total households.
According to the NESDC's report, among 37.9 million members of the Thai workforce in 2020, 17.5 million had social security plans, including a pension fund, provident fund or social security fund as required by Sections 33 and 39 of the Social Security Act.
The remaining 20.4 million were labourers participating in voluntary savings plans including the National Savings Fund (NSF), a voluntary pension fund for self-employed workers.
According to Ms Jinanggoon, the NESDC found Thais start saving at age 42 on average, compared with 30 in the US.
Household investment in 2019 made up only 2.2% of total households in the country, while one-third of Thai workers were in the farm sector, which fetches low income and has low productivity, she said.
"Even worse, Gen Y Thais like to purchase luxury items that take up to 69% of their salaries, which average 100,000 baht a month. These are mainly mobile phones, clothes, cosmetics, electronic equipment, watches and ornaments. Total purchases made by Gen Y amounted to 1.37 trillion baht a year, or about 13% of the GDP. Some 70% of purchases are financed by bank loans, credit cards and cash cards," said Ms Jinanggoon.
"This indicates young people lack proper savings and financial planning because they overspend. The government must step up in promoting savings and improve savings-related regulations to build financial security."
HEAVY BURDEN
She said the growing number of aged people will add a burden for the workforce, forcing them to care for their elders as well as their children.
The dependence ratio per 100 workers to the elderly is expected to surge to 79.1 in 2040, up from 53.8 in 2020.
"Once Thailand becomes a full-fledged aged society, while the fertility rate remains relatively low, a labour shortage may occur. This would cause a slowdown in long-term economic growth because of low consumption and higher medical expenses for the elderly," said Ms Jinanggoon, citing a NESDC study from 2019 showing government spending on healthcare for the elderly is estimated to reach 554 billion baht in 2040, up from 406 billion in 2017.
Revenue from income tax collection is projected to fall substantially, possibly adding risk to the country's fiscal discipline in the long run.
The study also found savings among the elderly insufficient to provide them financial security. This may eventually result in greater poverty among the elderly and more dependence on government financial assistance, she said.
LONG-TERM THREATS
KKP Research, a research house under Kiatnakin Phatra Financial Group, issued a report finding Thailand's rapidly changing demographic structure has deteriorated the country's economic expansion over the past several years, with this challenge creating more economic pressure in the longer term.
"Thailand is approaching becoming a full-fledged aged society while still stuck in the middle-income trap. In 2020, the average age of Thais was estimated at 40.1 years old, ranking as the oldest among Asia's emerging economies," the research said.
"Given this scenario, the impact on structural problems will deepen, especially for domestic consumption and investment. The government will definitely face a higher fiscal burden due to rising welfare spending."
Thailand's old-age dependency ratio is projected to increase from 18% in 2020 to 30% in 2030.
The old-age dependency ratio is the ratio of the number of elderly people at an age when they are generally economically inactive, compared with the number of people of working age.
"Given the changing demographic structure, the greying population trend is expected to affect economic growth in all dimensions," said KKP.
"Future potential growth rates could possibly drop to 2.6-2.8% from 3.2-3.5% now."
As a result, Thailand needs structural economic reform to sustain the growth rate in the long run, said the research.
Innovative technology and development are necessary to replace human labour. Improving productivity and competitiveness via the creative economy and high value-added products are key solutions, the report recommended.
The government should also support legal amendments to promote cross-border labour movement and evolve from labour-intensive industries to technology and automation.
The government should facilitate ease of doing business by encouraging productivity and competitiveness in the private sector, the report found.
RISING JOB LOSSES
Tanit Sorat, vice-chairman of the Confederation of Thai Trade and Industry, predicted more older workers may lose their job, dealing a further blow to unemployment during the pandemic.
Workers over age 50 are likely to be offered early retirement as their employers are more concerned about costs in an economic slump.
"The longer they work with companies, the higher their salaries," said Mr Tanit.
"Notably in the post-pandemic period, companies are expected to use more technology to replace human workers. This is a trend happening worldwide."
Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of Thai Hotels Association, said all employees are at risk of being laid off given the unprecedented crisis in tourism, but the risk is highest for those with the shortest and longest experience on the job.
According to the Tourism Council of Thailand, the tourism sector employs an estimated 4 million people, with less than 20% workers aged 60 or older, mostly in senior positions.
She said most senior hoteliers aged 55-60 may not be able to return to the hospitality business after being laid off.
They would prefer to spend retirement with their families in their hometown, or take on extra jobs rather than working in the tourism industry.
Mrs Marisa said this is a point of concern for hotels because senior workers understand tourist behaviour and are familiar with regular guests.
"Strong organisations have diverse age ranges because every generation can complement the others," Mrs Marisa said.
"But workers in the hotel business need to adapt for flexibility in order to multitask."
The hotels association set up a working group to prepare for post-pandemic business, including upskilling and reskilling programmes for the workforce and redesigning organisational charts for greater efficiency.
She suggested the government offer continued financial support such as debt holidays to help individual workers who lost their jobs.
Seniors at the Elderly Learning Centre on Lat Phrao Soi 23. Somchai Poomlard
RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLANS
Jiraporn Plangpraphan, senior researcher at TDRI, said the government desperately needs serious plans to build up financial security, particularly for the elderly.
"The government no longer has time to dance around or procrastinate. Serious savings promotion needs to be accelerated. New generations who have just started working have to set up a feasible savings system for their future living requirements," said Ms Jiraporn.
"Without serious and speedy savings plans, the government's spending for the elderly will skyrocket in the near future."
She said the current monthly stipends for 11 million elderly people cost the government nearly 100 billion baht a year.
Ms Jiraporn also suggests the government come up with measures to promote retirement savings. One option is faster enforcement of the National Pension Fund Act, which requires all companies in Thailand to establish provident funds for their employees, while another choice is an amendment to the existing NSF to allow people who are already in retirement savings systems such as the Social Security Fund (SSF) to become members, allowing more savings.
The Social Security Fund Act needs to be upgraded to ensure sufficient income after retirement, she said, citing a proposal to raise contributions from SSF members from 15,000 baht to 20,000 baht a month to help sustain the fund and ensure it can meet its old-age pension payout requirements in the future.
As most employers and employees will resist a proposal to raise the fund's contribution rates, fearing the higher financial burden, Ms Jiraporn said the government must try its best to convince employees of the benefits of higher contributions to ensure the fund compensates all members over the long term.
At the same time, she said, the government needs to build up confidence and transparency in SSF management in order to draw more people to participate in the system.
"The government should work to assure SSF members the fund will never fail, showing state readiness to shore up contributions in an emergency," said Ms Jiraporn.
NSF MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
Charuluck Ruangsuwan, the NSF secretary-general, said the fund is a key pillar of the country's retirement savings system, though it is vulnerable to threats. The NSF already proposed extending the maximum membership age to 65 from 60, as stipulated by law to promote savings.
The fund also asked the Finance Ministry to help consider increasing state contributions from a maximum of 1,200 baht to 1,800 baht per year.
The existing structure requires voluntary pension fund members to make a minimum contribution of 50 baht per year, up to a 13,200-baht maximum.
There is no requirement for a fixed monthly contribution.
The government makes a matching contribution of up to 50% of whatever members aged 15-30 choose to pay, for up to 600 baht a year.
For those aged 31-50, the government matches up to 80% of their contributions, up to 960 baht a year. The state matches 100% of members' contributions for those aged 51-60, with the maximum amount capped at 1,200 baht per year.
If state contributions are raised to 1,800 baht per year, fund members would receive a higher amount of money at different ages, while the percentage contribution from the government would remain the same, said Ms Charuluck.
The NSF has cumulative savings of 8 billion baht. Most of the capital is invested in highly stable assets, with a minimal portion invested in equities. Last year the return was 2.75%.
PENSION INSURANCE RETHINK
As the Thai population ages, insurance companies will have to rethink the products offered to this demographic to fit their specific needs, suggests Thai Life Assurance Association president Sara Lamsam.
While health insurance helps curb medical and hospital expenses, the policy cost increases as people age, while pension insurance provides steady payments that do not scale up, he said.
"You should think about this early, while your health is still strong," said Mr Sara. "The insurance premium for the young is cheaper because of longer-term savings commitments."
Last year pension insurance grew by 17.5% amid the outbreak. This product pays regular amounts to policyholders when they reach retirement age.
However, he said the products do not yield enough money for life after retirement.
The association and the Office of the Insurance Commission are discussing revising pension insurance to serve an ageing society, as the number of elderly keep growing.
"In the future, pension insurance schemes should be linked to services related to the lifestyles of seniors, such as hospitals and nursing homes," said Mr Sara.
New tax rule to hit berry pickers' income in Sweden
Berry picking in Sweden is a highly-sought job among Thai workers, but things may change this year after the Scandinavian country introduced a special income tax for short-term foreign workers.
Under the new tax regime approved by Swedish lawmakers in November last year, foreign workers who are employed no more than 183 days per year will pay a 25% income tax.
Suchart Pornchaiwisetkul, director-general of the Department of Employment (DoE), said a campaign is now under way to inform Thai job seekers and job placement agencies of the new tax rules.
Thais usually travel to Sweden and Finland to take up jobs at berry farms between July and September every year.
In Sweden, for instance, the minimum monthly income is guaranteed at 23,500 Swedish krona, or about 85,070 baht. According to labour officials estimates, Thai workers can expect to bring home between 13,327-31,156 baht for three months of work, after taxes and living expenses.
"Based on the department's calculations, it is highly likely Thai berry pickers will earn less in the upcoming seasons'', Mr Suchart said.
Job seekers need to be warned of the changes so they can make an informed decision, especially since many were known to borrow money to cover their initial placement costs, he said.
Despite the changes in Stockholm, Mr Suchart said the Finnish Tax Authority has informed Thai officials that it is making no change to the tax rules for berry pickers in its 2021 season.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is keeping an eye for any changes and will keep workers informed, he said.
According to the department chief, demand for Thai berry pickers in Finland is high, with the Finnish berry industry informing the nation's labour officials that they want 8,703 Thai workers to cover this season.
He said the DoE, which has job quotas for berry pickers in Sweden and Finland, will do its best to allocate the spots available.
The net income of a berry picker in Finland, who are allowed to work for 55 days during harvest season each year, ranges between 90,000 and 150,000 baht.
Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin also said the ministry has been informed of the new tax rules by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is working to help cushion impacts to be brought by the change.
In November last year, Anucha Burapachaisri, spokesman for the government, said a total of 5,245 Thai berry pickers travelled to the two Scandinavian countries for berry-picking jobs and brought home at least 618.3 million baht.
Vendors and workers in Bangkok's Bang Khae Market area receive their first dose of Covid-19 vaccines at Wat Nimmanoradee in Phasicharoen district. The second dose will be administered from April 7 to 11. (Photo by Varuth Hirunyatheb)
Samut Prakan has again emerged as a Covid-19 hotspot after a new cluster of infections was detected among the province's migrant workers, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said on Sunday.
In total, 584 people were placed under close supervision after 17 migrant workers tested positive for Covid-19, DDC's director-general, Opas Karnkawinpong, said yesterday.
Authorities said the initial carrier was a 29-year-old worker from Myanmar, who came in for a test on March 13. After she was found to be infected, the DDC moved to test migrant workers at camps on Soi Sukhumvit 107 and 117 and found 16 more infected workers -- two from Myanmar, four Thais and 10 Cambodians.
"Construction sites have multiple risk factors, such as shared facilities and in this case, the workers violated Covid-19 prevention rules by throwing a party," Dr Opas said.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said 45 local infections were were recorded in hospitals on Sunday, while 36 were found through mass testing, most of who were from Samut Sakhon, for a total of 81 cases.
At present, the CCSA is focusing its efforts on preventing the outbreak that began in Bang Khae from spreading further, as cases found as far as Songkhla and Si Sa Ket have been linked to the cluster.
A further 16 people were found to be infected with Covid-19 after visiting markets in Bang Khae, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases linked to the cluster to 384.
About 2,600 people deemed at risk in Bang Khae have now been inoculated.
To help bolster the availability of hospital beds in the city, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is going to open a second field hospital near Rajpipattana Hospital in Thawi Wattana district.
BMA's first field hospital, a 600-bed facility near Bang Khunthian Hospital, opened on Jan 12.
Meanwhile, a survey carried out by the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University between March 15-18 on 1,155 respondents described the impact Covid-19 has on their savings.
About 47% of respondents said their savings had fallen, while 22.5% said they were in deeper credit card debt.
About 42.6% of respondents borrowed from family members, while 33% sought a bank loan and 27.7% borrowed from friends and close associates, the survey, also known as the Suan Dusit Poll, found.
Many believe that quarantine is strangling Thailand's once-booming foreign tourist industry.
Hopes that relaxation of the country's quarantine rules for overseas visitors will boost international arrivals may be premature. According to government spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the unpopular hotel-based and supervised isolation will be reduced from 14 to 10 days starting April 1.Entrants with a completed vaccination certificate might qualify for 7 days restricted movement, although Thai embassies abroad (which control all applications to visit the country via the mandatory Certificate of Entry) have not yet confirmed that detail.
The beneficial effect in the short term may be minimal. Phumkit Raktaengam, president of the Phuket Tourism Association, said business operators have been discussing the issue with European counterparts and made the unsurprising discovery that the vast majority of tourists will wait until quarantine has completely disappeared from the rule book. A similar remark from a Pattaya Council member warned that international tourism in the city was on its last legs owing to isolation and the publicity surrounding it.
The government's top health committee, chaired by the prime minister, has also suggested that the country could stop enforcing quarantine altogether for some groups from October 1 with a full revival of open-entry international tourism starting in January 2022. But these are aspirations and not policy decisions with ongoing worries about clusters of infection, new virus variants and the halting international progress towards mass vaccination and herd immunity.
If this is your dream idea of a hotel quarantine room, you might be disappointed by what you get.
Thailand continues to struggle with trying to balance the needs of the economy with the safety of its citizens. Unsure of the future, the prime minister's Covid panel has extended the state of emergency for two further months until the end of May. This allows the government to enforce mandatory quarantines and to streamline disease-control without multiple approvals from other national and provincial agencies. Meanwhile, Thailand is in talks with the United States, South Korea and Singapore about limited travel bubbles and future vaccine passport pacts.
Meanwhile, Europe's third wave threatens to spread to the UK with Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning that the ban on foreign holidays, initially scheduled to end mid-May, may well have to be extended throughout the summer. The Times newspaper quoted a government source, "In May we are still going to have a significant proportion of the population still not vaccinated and, of course, children won't be vaccinated either."
UK government advisor Dr Mike Tildesley said there was a danger that new variants could jeopardize the vaccination programme later in the year. He said that it would likely remain illegal for Brits to travel abroad for leisure reasons throughout the summer because of the risk of vacationers bringing back variant bugs on return. The Chinese-based Jing Travel has made a similar point that business travel should have priority over vacations, warning that the Chinese government was not sponsoring group travel outside the country at present. In spite of many predictions, Thailand still does not have a travel bubble or green zone agreement with either China or India, formerly its biggest international tourist markets.
It's looking increasingly likely that the light at the end of the tunnel won't be shining any time soon.
Thailand's bars, clubs and eateries are suffering no matter how you look at them.
The restaurant, 'Aroi Kan Rong Poa', has been legally opened in Banglamung.
The restaurant owner, Ms. Anchalee Chomchuen, 49, told The Pattaya News, "I used to be a Thai traditional actress in Chachoengsao before I moved to Banglamung."
"I had previously opened a restaurant popular with Thais and foreigners, including tourists, but later it was closed due to the Covid – 19 pandemic and resulting lack of customers," Anchalee explained.
"I decided to open a restaurant again but this time a cannabis restaurant, as I identified the strong demand from the public to try legal cannabis dishes. We have a variety of food and drinks including cannabis ingredients. We have obtained all the proper licenses and meet all the proper health department regulations." Anchalee continued.
"The restaurant is open daily from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M The restaurant is located in Baan Rong Poa or you can contact us at 065-592 3982 and 062-463 2338." Anchalee concluded.
Pass through the Ban Rong Poa market before crossing the railway and turning left along the road will find the shop, they can also give directions over the phone in Thai.
Bang Khae cluster of infections increases to 367
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The number of COVID-19 infections linked to the Bang Khae market cluster has increased to 367, with 26 new cases recorded on Friday, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
City health officials discovered the new cases while screening more than 12,000 people. The results of 2,435 other tests are still pending.
Meanwhile, health officials have continued to offer free vaccinations to members of the public in Bang Khae district, for the fourth consecutive day, but the inoculation venue has beenmoved from the Bang Khae market to Nimmanoradee Temple, which is more spacious.
The free inoculation of 1,000 people per day there will end tomorrow, though many more people have shown interest in receiving the vaccination.
Around 10 per cent of low-income Thais fell below the poverty threshold in 2019, according to the latest report by the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).
The new report measures income before the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the economy and household finances.
However, it provides a useful baseline to measure the impact of the pandemic on poorer citizens, with the 2020 survey expected to show a surge in poverty.
The NESDC's income distribution report for 2019 divides low-income Thais into 10 groups according to their income level. The top group earned an average Bt32,663 a month while the poorest earned only Bt2,049 per month.
The NESDC surveys poverty and income distribution every two years.
Thais have spoken up in a new poll saying they want tougher consequences for those who choose to drink and drive again and again. The Suan Dusit Rajabhat University Poll revealed that an overwhelming majority of Thais are in favor of harsher penalties. The survey was conducted on 2,152 participants of all ages and career levels nationwide.
About 94% of respondents favored tougher laws on drunk drivers who continue to break the law.
The poll also indicated that about 87% of respondents believe such repeat offenders should be put in prison without the possiblity of being let out on probation. Over half of the respondents have seen drunk – driving accidents, putting fire on the well – known claims that Thailand has some of the most dangerous roads in the world.
The Justice Ministry's Department of Probation records reveal that 17,584 drunk drivers were placed on court – ordered probation in April 2019. But just 1 year later, that number dropped to 550, as the Covid-19pandemic spurred a nationwide Emergency Decree that included a night – time curfew, bans on alcohol distribution and consumption, and closures of entertainment venues.
Campaigns that aim to educate Thai residents on the dangers of drinking and driving include the push for roadside breathalisers, as experts say using such tests are key to preventing people from driving while intoxicated. But some disagree that campaigns are really doing any good as they say foreign research has revealed that the campaigns are mostly marketing ploys designed by alcoholic beverage producers to increase sales.
According to www.dangerousroads.org, Thailand ranks number 4 worldwide for the most dangerous country in which to drive. The rankings were conducted by gathering traffic-related death rates, which show the annual number of road fatalities per capita per year and per vehicle – in kilometres in countries. The rest of the rankings are as follows:
According the tourism ministry, visitors would need to quarantine in a hotel room for the first three days, then if they continued to test negative, would be allowed out of their rooms at the resort.
