The emergency decree that has been in place since early April is unlikely to be extended beyond its current planned end date of May 31st according to the Secretary-General of the National Security Council (NSC).
The state of emergency has already been extended once, enabling the Thai Government to implement temporary restrictions such as the night curfew between 10 pm and 4 am and the ban on incoming international flights to Thailand.
However, coronavirus figures released by the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration have been continuously low over recent weeks with the government allowing some businesses to reopen last week and planning to open shopping malls again on May 17th.
An opinion survey is being conducted by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) on the impacts of the emergency decree on public administrations.
The findings of the survey will be considered as one of the factors when making a decision about extending the current state of emergency with the main focus being placed on public health.
Other factors that will be considered include the likelihood of people gathering in groups if the decree is lifted, security concerns, economic benefits and drawbacks, and social factors.
However, Gen Somsak Roongsita, Secretary-General of the NSC, said that when considering all factors it is unlikely the state of emergency will be extended beyond the end of May. He said:
“The emergency decree will stop one day. It cannot last forever. However, we must consider the covid-19 pandemic situation. Meanwhile, impacts on the economy and people must not be overlooked.”
He continued by stressing the importance of public cooperation with the current regulations and said that would be one of the main focuses when looking into ending the emergency decree.
Source: TNA
