More than 24 million Thais registered to receive the monthly handout of 5,000 baht (US$155) over six months. The funds will roll out for the first recipients on April 8. The scheme is for temporary or contract employees or self-employed workers who are not covered by the social security system, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said. Later, the social security office confirmed furloughed workers are eligible for temporary financial support.

In Thailand, Indonesia and Bangladesh, refugees live in fear of the coronavirus

But as the pandemic intensifies and a nationwide 24-hour curfew could soon become a reality, the government on Tuesday announced a fresh stimulus package of 1.9 trillion baht (US$58 billion), roughly over 10 per cent of the country’s GDP, that would cover soft loans, support for corporate bonds and other relief measures as the country heads into an economic recession.

Thailand’s coronavirus cases rose from below 200 in mid-March to over 2,000 in the first week of April, after the first cases emerged in January. The state of emergency, which began on March 26, has led to a partial lockdown in and outside Bangkok. But critics say since there were no proper backup measures earlier, the effort has backfired as more cases outside Bangkok have been reported in recent weeks following a large exodus of workers to the countryside.

“When the government announced types of businesses to be shut, its mistake was that there were no economic measures in place to keep low-wage workers in Bangkok,” said economist Anusorn Tamajai. “As the measures were not integrated, there are higher economic costs Thailand has to bear.”

Meanwhile, the urban poor and those who have nowhere to return to are falling through the cracks.

Thongpoon Buasri, a social worker from the Foundation for the Better Life of Children, said the nightly curfew initiated in Bangkok on April 3 has affected homeless people and those who have been kicked out of their homes, because they cannot pay the rent following the shutdown of public spaces in Bangkok last month. “They usually sleep on the streets, but the curfew means they had to find deep alleys somewhere to sleep,” she said.

Coronavirus to keep almost 24 million people in Asia impoverished

Last week, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security said an estimated 1,400 homeless people in Bangkok were welcome to stay in government shelters for their protection. But over the weekend, one Bangkok community threatened to riot if the homeless were taken to the shelter near them.

“The government acted too fast. There are many unclear issues to sort out,” said Thongpoon. “You cannot put a lot of them all together like this.”

In other low-income communities around Bangkok that Thongpoon has been to, school closures are keeping children at home, and they are not allowed to play outside during the day amid the lockdown. As parents are also at home all the time, families face stress from having to spend many hours together in cramped spaces, she said.

Klong Toey resident Gae said many homes in the district are often built with metal sheets for walls and roofs, and are divided into four to five rooms for rent, which increases a chance of infection.

Living in low-income communities often means other residents have to self-quarantine if there are reports of infections.

Social volunteer Kumari Priti said a community in Klong Toey had to undergo that recently, on top of not being to work during the city lockdown. In recent days, she has donated soap, rice and canned food for the communities. She is also planning to provide two meals a day for the homeless in Bangkok this month, pending online donations.