Thailand Ministry of Health reports 23,557 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 38 deaths since yesterday. The ministry also announced an additional 16,131 recovered patients.
April is just around the corner, it’s considered to be Thailand’s peak season as it is when Songkran is celebrated. The Thai New Year festival is among the most important annual events in the nation. For the past two years, the celebrations were minimized due to the lockdowns. This year, everyone is unsure if it will be the long-awaited return to normal or would be canceled.
This is usually the time of the year when the local and international tourists flock to famous Thai destinations. Year after year before the pandemic, it has brought in billions in revenue. This year, tourism operators are hoping for it not to be a dry one.
As the country continues to battle a resurgence of cases, many ask if a lockdown will happen. The current surge is expected to peak by March. The current alert level is raised to level 4. The government said previously that lockdowns will not be needed, however, due to the increase in cases, many are in doubt.
The recent announcement of the government of increasing the alert level to four was slammed by tourist operators. The alert level did not come to a lockdown but it discouraged unnecessary inter-provincial travels. This has greatly affected the businesses that were expecting an influx of local tourists after a long dry season. They are quick to suggest that the country should begin to live with the virus. They also sighted examples such as the European nations who lifted all restrictions.
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