The northeastern province of Buriram has become the first province in Thailand to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for all individuals aged 18 and older, with possible penalties as high as two years in prison and a maximum of 60,000 Baht.
Buriram Governor Thatchakorn Hatthathayakul urged every individual, aged 18 or more, living or working in Buriram, to submit their COVID-19 risk assessment form and apply for vaccination through the publicly available channels by May 31st.
The channels include door-to-door approach by public health volunteers, online registration or personal visits to hospitals or health offices in the province. Failure to apply by May 31st is liable to one month in prison and/or a fine of 10,000 Baht.
If, during the application process, health officials or officials from the Disease Control Department find that the applicant is deemed to be at risk of getting infected, they can order them to get vaccinated at a specific venue and on a specific day.
Those who refuse to receive vaccine jabs, as ordered, may face a maximum fine of 60,000 Baht – 20,000 Baht for a violation of the Communicable Diseases Act and 40,000 Baht for a violation of the emergency decree – and/or two years in prison.