BANGKOK, April 14 — Thailand could see COVID-19 cases double or triple after the Songkran holidays as many were seen defying the preventive measures on the first day of the traditional Thai new year Songkran on Wednesday, warned a medical expert.
Associate Professor Thira Woratanarat, from Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University voiced his concern following media reports of tourists and locals ignoring COVID-19 preventive measures, including joining the street water fights, partying and drinking at crowded venues.
He said these events would spark another outbreak as it had all the contributing factors to the fast spread of COVID-19- large crowd in close contact, venues with poor ventilation, sharing of foods and drinks.
“Last year, the number of daily COVID-19 cases increased two to three times after Songkran holidays. We are expecting similar situation this year.
“The impact do not stop there. The number (COVID-19 cases) will double again in a month,” he wrote on his Facebook page today.
He added it is not too late if stern action taken to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Over the last 24 hours, Thailand recorded 24,134 new COVID-19 cases and 115 fatalities, bringing the total infections in the kingdom to 3,973,003 and 26,510 fatalities to date.
In bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) imposed ban on traditional water splashing along the streets during Songkran this year.
Despite repeated warnings of ‘dry Songkran’, tourists and locals thronged to Khaosan Road in Bangkok and Patong Walking Street in Phuket yesterday for street water fights.
Today, the police, military personnel and local council officials have been deployed in Khaosan Road. Besides that, checkpoints were set up to prevent public defying the ban.
Local media reported that municipal officials from Phra Nakhon District Office ordered all businesses along Khaosan Road not to allow tourists to splash water and to remove all ice buckets. Those defy the order would be subject to a 100,000 baht fine, Thai PBS reported.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha also raised concern on tourists and public defying the water splashing ban in Bangkok as well as in Phuket.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said Prayuth ordered local authorities to resolve the matter immediately.
