Editor’s note

The unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 stirred up substantial change in the socio-economic landscapes of most countries; Thailand has been no exception. While Thailand was swift to enact a lockdown after the declaration of a state of emergency throughout the country, the lockdown left several business sectors heavily affected, eventually prompting them to shut down and lay off workers. Additionally, the Thai healthcare system experienced a shortage of medical supplies and the lack of professional knowledge on the coronavirus spawned confusion. Subsequent measures to combat the pandemic and social chaos were taken by both the public and private sectors. Thawilwadee Bureekul, Ratchawadee Sangmahamad, and Nuchaprapar Moksart from King Prajadhipok’s Institute, explain how the government decentralized and distributed power to local governments, provided financial aid, enforced 14-day quarantine measures, and enacted lockdown measures. Moreover, private companies made hefty donations and sought measures to adapt to the “new normal.” The authors also provide policy recommendations for the management of COVID-19. They state that the government should be held accountable, enforce laws to protect its citizens, innovate digital technology, and ensure the social and economic stability of its citizens, to name a few. 

※ The following are excerpts from the article. For the full text, please check the attached file at the top of this page.

1.Introduction[1]

At the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak spread panic throughout the world and since then, the virus has affected many countries. Thailand was one of the first countries to record a case of a COVID-19 infection outside of China after the outbreak in Wuhan, China. On January 13, 2020, the Thai Health Ministry confirmed the first COVID-19 cases in Thailand, which included two Chinese tourists from Wuhan. Thailand became the hub of the pandemic, prompting various countries to warn their citizens against traveling to Thailand.

In response to COVID-19, the Thai government launched measures to control the rapid increase of new cases. The first measure was the Bangkok lockdown after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a state of emergency throughout the country. The lockdown period lasted for three months (March to June 2020) in an attempt to minimize transmission rates and reduce the number of new cases. The measures required people to stay at home in order to avoid infection, which resulted in several changes. For instance, people increasingly adopted and utilized digital platforms in their daily life, which was evident through the rapid increase in food delivery. The usage of online shopping, digital entertainment, digital payment, online learning, work-from-home policies, social distancing also increased during this period.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 Situation Management Center was established by the cabinet to provide information and organize emergency measures to protect people from the pandemic[2]. Moreover, laws and regulations were implemented to manage the spread of COVID-19, such as the 14-day state quarantine for people entering the country, COVID-19 checkpoints, and the Thai Cha-na smartphone application to track people. However, methods that were implemented to control the outbreak had significant economic effects. After the lockdown measure, several business sectors were directly affected. Flights were banned from landing in Thailand and the tourism industry, which accounted for 15 percent of Thai GDP, disappeared. As a result, hotels, restaurants, and service sectors were immediately shut down. SMEs were no longer able to operate their businesses, leading to the laying off of a vast number of employees. Millions of people in Bangkok and several other provinces were left unemployed, lacked reserve money, and received no social support, therefore resulting in the return of many citizens to their hometowns.

In response to the immediate economic impact, the government launched a 5000-baht allowance for 14 million people who had been financially affected by COVID-19. In addition, the Bank of Thailand created soft loans for business owners to help SMEs during the outbreak. The term “new normal” describes the new way of living for Thai society. Technology became an essential tool for people to communicate during the pandemic, and changes were made in response to COVID-19.

This paper explores the challenges that Thailand faced amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the responses of the public and private sector, and how COVID-19 changed Thailand’s socio-economic landscape. The final section offers policy recommendations to cope with COVID-19. Moreover, trust-building, social safety nets, and law enforcement are also discussed.■

• Thawilwadee Bureekul is the director of the Research and Development Office at King Prajadhipok’s Institute (KPI)where she is involved in the planning, management, implementation, and coordination of the Institute’s research projects. In addition to her role at KPI, Dr. Bureekul is a professor at several universities in Thailand, including the Asian Institute of Technology, Thammasat University, Burapha University, Mahidol University, and Silpakorn University. She succeeded in proposing “Gender Responsive Budgeting” in the Thai Constitution and she was granted the “Woman of the Year 2017” award as a result.
   
• Ratchawadee Sangmahamad is a researcher assigned to the Research and Development Office of King Prajadhipok’s Institute. Her research includes citizenship, gender, and election studies. She has published books such as Value Culture and Thermometer of Democracy (with Thawilwadee Bureekul), Thai Citizens: Democratic Civic Education (with Thawilwadee Bureekul and Eugenie Mario), and many articles.
   
• Nuchaprapar Moksart is a researcher assigned to the Research and Development Office of King Prajadhipok’s Institute. Her research includes social policy and political economy theory. She also writes on socioeconomic issues.
   

• Typeset by Jinkyung Baek, Director of the Research Department
  For inquiries: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 209) I j.baek@eai.or.kr