Thailand Considers Emergency Extension to Prevent Second Virus Wave

(Bloomberg) --

Thailand is considering an extension of its state of emergency through Sept. 30 to prevent a second wave of coronavirus cases and guard its streak of almost three months without a local infection amid mounting anti-government protests.

The one-month extension, when approved by the Cabinet, would be the fifth since the initial order in March. The emergency allows the government to enforce mandatory quarantines and streamline disease-control plans without multiple approvals from various agencies, according to Natthapol Nakpanich, deputy army chief and deputy leader of the national Covid-19 task force.

While Thailand hasn’t detected any new cases from community transmission for the past 86 days, one of the world’s longest streaks, authorities on Wednesday said they were looking into a suspected infection in a woman who completed a mandatory 14-day quarantine on her return from the United Arab Emirates.

Officials are wary after the virus recently reemerged in places including Vietnam and New Zealand. Also, a student-led protest movement sweeping Thailand could make it difficult to control spreading if an outbreak occurs.

“The worry is that many people will be too complacent after seeing no new cases in the country for many days,” Natthapol said, adding that the extension of emergency rules will help authorities control risks, but won’t affect peoples’ daily lives or their right to protest.

A crowd of more than 10,000 people held a demonstration in Bangkok on Sunday, one of the largest protests in recent years, to demand an end to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha’s military-led administration and call for the monarchy’s powers to be reined in.

While most protesters wear masks, they don’t follow physical-distancing practices.

Prayuth warned student protesters on Wednesday to be aware of the infection risks during the demonstrations after a report that a hospital in Bangkok has detected a virus case outside the state quarantine.

Thailand had detected 3,382 infections so far, with new cases in recent weeks found in people already in state quarantine after returning from abroad. But health officials said they’re preparing for a possible second wave and drafting action plans.

“The detection of new local cases won’t be a shock or a surprise. It could happen,” said Tanarak Plipat, deputy head of the disease control department at the Health Ministry. “The focus will be on avoiding a large outbreak in the country.”

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.