Coronavirus: Thailand braces for life under state of emergency as Prayuth urges cooperation

Thais began living under a state of emergency on Thursday – with social gatherings and foreign travellers banned, domestic travel restricted, and only essential services provided – as the number of coronavirus cases surged to 934, with four deaths. The curbs will last until the end of next month.

The decree, first announced by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha two days ago, gives the former general total command and powers to deal with disorder similar to when he was chief of the junta council after the 2014 coup that brought down then leader Yingluck Shinawatra.

“We are facing a test that none of us has ever faced. We have to acknowledge the fact that Thailand is at a turning point of the Covid-19 crisis and the situation can be more intense and much worse,” Prayuth said in a televised speech in Bangkok yesterday.

As deadly as coronavirus: fake news about chloroquine treatment

Thailand’s move is similar to that of neighbouring Malaysia, which has extended its partial lockdown to April to further curb the spread of infections that have risen to almost 1,800, the highest in Southeast Asia.

Under the emergency decree, the powers of some cabinet ministers will be transferred to Prayuth, who will lead a Covid-19 command centre. Thailand’s tourism- and export-dependent economy is expected to shrink by 5.3 per cent this year, its worst contraction since the Asian financial crisis.

The announcement follows the shutdown of public spaces last week that brought a once-bustling Bangkok to a standstill and put hundreds of thousands of jobs in peril as shopping malls, restaurants and bars were closed.

Tawee Chotpitayasunondh, senior medical consultant for the health ministry, said the emergency decree would increase the effectiveness of social distancing, and ultimately “doctors would find it easier to do their jobs as the number of patients falls”.

Thailand has prepared some 12,000 beds for Covid-19 patients, according to Dr Tawee.

Thai condominium sector headed for 10-year low as Chinese buyers disappear

Criticism has fallen on the government for its inconsistent policy and public communications that sparked confusion. Prayuth said the emergency decree would ease disunity among public agencies.

Other orders issued on Wednesday mentioned future curtailing of public life, mobility and transportation as well as a ban on entry to certain places and the use of some medication. People older than 70 years of age and those under five are advised to remain indoors except for when they have to receive medical treatment.

“I ask you to have confidence and cooperate. Thailand will come back and be strong again,” Prayuth said, adding that all Thais would be affected by the decree.

Yutthaporn Issarachai, a political scientist at Sukhothai Thammarat Open University, said the emergency decree could be used to limit people’s rights and protect state agencies.

“People will not be able to file a legal complaint against them and the media will be requested not to disseminate information that will cause panic in society,” he said.

Yingcheep Atchanon, who runs law website iLaw, said it was up to the prime minister to decide what role the army would play in society during the one-month emergency period.

This week the army, led by commander in chief Apirat Kongsompong, took part in the cleaning of streets and footpaths in Bangkok, heightening speculation it would play a bigger role such as in commanding mobility and maintaining order. The police on Wednesday said they could use military assistance to set up checkpoints.

Yada, a fruit-juice seller at Bangkok’s backpackers’ street of Khaosan Road, said she hoped people would still be able to buy takeaways though she was unsure how long her stall could stay open. “The faster this ends, the better,” she said.

Thailand only had about 40 cases several weeks ago, mostly attributed to foreign visitors or those who had travelled overseas, but more than 100 new infections this month have been traced to a March 6 match at a boxing stadium owned by the army that did not shut down despite orders against large gatherings.

Jack Ma donates masks, test kits to Southeast Asian countries

The health ministry said not all of those who had visited the stadium had been tested and the number could be many times higher.

While infections were concentrated in Bangkok last month, all regions of Thailand have now reported infections. The closure of shopping centres and public spaces in the capital has also seen a large number of people return to the countryside to wait out the partial lockdown, prompting authorities to tighten social distancing measures in other provinces.

Meanwhile, some cases in the country’s south have been attributed a gathering at a mosque in Malaysia that concluded earlier this month.