Commerce Chamber
People dine separated by dividing screens at a street food corner in Bangkok’s Chinatown on January 10, 2021, (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP)
One to two billion Baht in revenue will be lost per day, resulting in an economic contraction of about 0.1%-0.3%, amid a new round of COVID-19 restrictions beginning today (Monday) in Bangkok and nine other provinces, according to the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
The restrictions should not last too long and an accelerated vaccination effort, especially in areas with many infections, should accompany the restrictive measures, said Commerce Chamber Chairman Sanan Angubolkul, who is also urging direct compensation be paid to businesses in the hospitality and food and beverage industries.
The one-month partial lockdown, in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla, includes the re-imposition of the dine-in ban, no gatherings of more than 20 people, as well as closures of cinemas, theatres and the sealing of construction worker dormitories.
The control measures come only a week after some restrictions, especially on eateries, were lifted in the capital. In a previous announcement, restaurants were allowed to open, for dine-in service, until 11pm instead of 9pm with customer capacity increased to half.
Meanwhile, Mr. Suphan Mongkolsuthree. Chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, is urging both the private sector and members of the public to cooperate fully with the government in bringing constantly surging COVID-19 infections under control because, if the current spread gets out of control, more industries may be subjected to restrictive measures or closures.
Like Mr. Sanan, Mr. Suphan also called for state compensation for the affected businesses and the accelerated vaccination of factory workers, who are important to Thailand’s exports.