When the whole country saw how the prime minister was nonchalantly teasing reporters and giggling in front of the camera last Friday, we didn t know that it was just the beginning of a series of mishaps.
On Saturday afternoon, over 400 construction camps in Bangkok and peripheral areas were closed, following the semi-lockdown imposed by the government. It turned out that the order, which aimed to keep workers contained inside the camp, ended up being counterproductive. Without knowing until late on that the government would provide food and financial support, hundreds of workers, at a conservative estimate, packed their bags and headed home before the order took effect on Monday.
Earlier this month, there was good news in terms of public safety and the urban environment. It was reported that the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Onep) was going to enforce a more stringent environmental impact assessment (EIA) rule for high-rise building developers.
Govt needs to get its vaccine priorities right
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The government s recent change in its vaccination rollout plan to re-prioritise a risk group, the majority of them low-paid workers in the capital, may sound like a perfect preventive plan. But it s not yet inclusive enough.
The latest rollout plan will cover about half a million workers in Bangkok. Unlike office workers who can work from home, their jobs subject them to working outside the home putting them into contact with other people. They include public transport drivers, street cleaners, teachers, and workers in the aviation sector, electricity and waterworks agencies.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) re-prioritised the group as they were among those who caused more clusters after the latest outbreak in the Thong Lor area.
Stop the fancy words in battle against Covid
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The small drop in the number of new Covid-19 new cases to under 2,000 yesterday may look like a good sign.
But it doesn t mean we and our government can relax yet. A total of 1,871 new cases and 10 deaths in one day tells us there s still a long battle ahead.
While medical staff countrywide have worked hard to curb the third ferocious outbreak, the government is continuing with a failed communication strategy.
For over a year, we have watched the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) report shocking daily statistics on the numbers of beds taken and ending with same old line Never lower our guard .
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