On March 25, 2020,  General Prayuth Chan-o-cha, the Prime Minister announced the emergency decree via a special television broadcast indicating that the spread of COVID-19, which could escalate significantly, has led the government to declare a nationwide state of emergency from March 26 to April 30, 2020. This elevates the COVID-19 center to a command center under Section 7 of the law to provide clear directives and reduce the complexities faced by various agencies.

With the Prime Minister as the chairperson, the responsibilities are as follows:

- The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health will lead the emergency response regarding public health.

- The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior will oversee the directives to provincial governors and the Governor of Bangkok.

- The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce will manage the control of goods and medical supplies.

- The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will handle international matters and the protection of Thai citizens abroad.

- The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces will be responsible for security-related emergency responses, combating all types of crime, and overseeing the duties of military and police forces. All sectors will collaborate and hold joint meetings to ensure everyone is informed of the situation and can work in a coordinated manner.

 

As for various regulations, such as prohibiting entry to high-risk areas, closing certain high-risk locations, closing border entry points, providing guidelines for the elderly, the sick, and children, prohibiting hoarding of goods, unjustified price increases, and banning the dissemination of misleading news, these will be announced following the declaration of the state of emergency.

I would like to confirm that under this royal decree, there will be no closure of shops selling essential goods for daily life. While these regulations may cause some inconvenience to the public, I urge everyone to cooperate and make sacrifices for the greater good.

An application will be utilized to assist in operations, and communication will be improved. There will be a daily press briefing to reduce redundancy and misunderstandings. I request that the media use information from the daily announcements instead of seeking direct interviews. Social media users are encouraged to share information from the press briefings and use their creativity to help disseminate information. There will be a more stringent application of disease control laws nationwide, and within a week, teams will be dispatched to engage with experts across the country to involve them in the efforts.

Measures will become more stringent and may impact daily life or infringe on freedoms, but if followed, I believe we can overcome this situation.

 

 

 

Source: Office of the Prime Minister