Thai government releases COVID-19 action plan

The Thai government published a 14-point action plan last week for controlling the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak as the Prime Minister, and Cabinet members said they would donate their salaries this month to the anti-epidemic efforts.

As part of the efforts to mitigate the impacts of the epidemic, the Ministry of Finance announced a $3.1 billion initial relief package for businesses and individuals affected by the health emergency.

The COVID-19 virus has infected 43 people in Thailand since the virus first appeared in the Kingdom on January 13, according to the best data available to Thai public health officials. The number of people infected is relatively low, but that could change at any time because of the unpredictable nature of epidemics.

Nonetheless, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said Thailand is among the best-prepared countries when it comes to coping with epidemics.

Thailand is already feeling the economic effects of the epidemic, with tourist arrivals sharply dropping. Many other countries are experiencing similar impacts.

Among the action plan’s measures is an edict that all state agencies must strictly enforce the Public Health Ministry’s rules and guidelines on the outbreak. The government is also setting up an information center to integrate information from all agencies and receive complaints and provide the correct information to the public regarding the virus.

Photo courtesy of https://www.thaigov.go.th/news/contents/details/26895