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Two Thai provinces loosen lockdowns as new virus cases drop
Nonthaburi, a province bordering Bangkok, allowed retailers of mobile phones and related services to reopen Wednesday
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A volunteer uses disinfectant to clean Wat Traimit temple in Bangkok on March 18, 2020, amid concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak across the world. - Wat Traimit is the home of 5.5 tonnes (11,000 lbs.) of pure gold Buddha statues and attracts thousands of tourists each day. (AFP/Mladen ANTONOV)
Two provinces in Thailand are loosening partial lockdowns following a recent drop in the rate of new coronavirus infections.
Nonthaburi, a province bordering Bangkok, allowed retailers of mobile phones and related services to reopen Wednesday. Udon Thani, whose 1.6 million people are a key labor source for the capital, aims to relax some restrictions as early as Saturday.
Thailand remains under a state of emergency until April 30 that forced many businesses to shut and banned social gatherings. But, as in some other countries, there are signs officials are mulling how to emerge from the partial lockdown. Provincial governors have the authority to adjust curbs.
Udon Thani will start relaxing rules “but with social distancing guidelines,” for example allowing people to dine at restaurants, Governor Nirat Pongsitthithaworn said in a briefing Tuesday. That’s providing there are no new virus cases in the 14 days through April 17, he said.
Thailand has reported on average about 39 new infections daily in the past seven days, compared with tallies of more than 100 earlier. Total cases stand at 2,643. The government and business councils next week are expected to outline a time-line for reopening parts of the economy.
