Coronavirus: Thailand braces for life under state of emergency as Prayuth urges cooperation
- Measures include a ban on social gatherings and restrictions on domestic travel, while the prime minister has total command under the decree
- The country’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 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.
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”.