News
- Their majesties the King and Queen have returned back to Thailand. His Majesty the King received the audience of PM Prayuth and DPM Anutin to report on the situation of COVID-19 transmission. The King have given more than 100 respiratory machines and 2 million face masks for the government and recommended the government measures to be more systematic. The Queen gave particular supports to public health staffs.
Updates related to COVID-19:
- The Department of Disease Control announced that as for today, there are 38 newly confirmed cases, a total of 2,258 confirmed cases. Out of which, 1,408 are being hospitalised; 26 dead and 824 recovered. –Khao Sod
- A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Thailand said the United States had no knowledge of a shipment of face masks bound for Germany that officials in Berlin have accused it of diverting from an airport in Bangkok. The comment came after Berlin Secretary of Interior Andreas Geisel said on Friday that an order of 200,000 masks bound for Germany had been “confiscated” in Bangkok and diverted to the United States.–Bangkok Post
- The ban on all commercial flights into Thailand has been extended to April 18, as the government ramps up efforts to prevent clusters of COVID-19 infections among travellers from abroad. On Saturday, it banned all passenger flights from operating until Monday. Then, hours before the order expired, the aviation regulator (CAAT) issued another announcement which officially extended the ban to April 18.
- MFA spokesperson said this morning that the CAAT’s order was aimed to limit the number of returning Thais to be around 200 per day. The number 200 is from consultations with different agencies. The authority could ensure the returnees are in state quarantine. https://news1005.mcot.net/view/5e8bf12fe3f8e40af4434cfb
- Bangkok Post ran its editorial “Decree risks overreach”, questioning why the media regulations have to be part of the emergency decree. The editorial suggests that the government’s duty at this time is to correct false information, not to capture it. https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1894410/decree-risks-overreach
- Seventy-six passengers who arrived on Monday from Indonesia, where they attended a religious event, are expected to be sent to state quarantine facilities in their home provinces on Tuesday.
Politics
- The appointments of four new Constitutional Court judges and the new court president have been formally announced in the Royal Gazette.–all media outlet
Business
- The Department of Employment announces that more than 140,000 employees lost their jobs last month due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.–Bangkok Post
- The Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Ministry is set to organise training programmes for 40,000 unemployed people who lost their jobs because of the pandemic. The programmes will be supported by 80 universities, covering language skill development for tour guides, tourism management, business management for entrepreneurs and farm-related development. –Bangkok Post
ASEAN/World
- The UK Prime Minister Borris Johnson was taken into intensive care last night as his condition was deteriorating. He has been working from home since he has tested COVID-19 positive since March 27.
