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Introduction

[1] Thailand is currently experiencing a third wave of infections; therefore this paper updates the COVID-19 situation in Thailand, including responses from the government and other sectors; lessons learned from the pandemic in Thailand; and policy recommendations.

COVID-19 in Thailand

In the first outbreak, the government of Thailand had effectively limited the spread of the virus. The Thai government launched measures to control the rapid increases of new cases, including political, economic, social, legal, and regulatory actions. Since this crisis was new for Thailand, the COVID-19 Situation Management Center was established as the single information communication center for COVID-19. The Thai government declared a state of emergency decree to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak. The first state of emergency period lasted was from March 26 to May 31, 2020, which included a ban on foreigners entering the country; 14-day state quarantine for those entering Thailand; a nationwide curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.; recommendations to avoid inter-provincial movement; measures encouraging 50 percent of the workforce to work from home; and mandating the wearing of facemasks.[2] The State of Emergency was extended for eleven times, which expires on May 31, 2021, but some restrictions, such as lockdown measures, were eased. After that, the Cabinet approved the announcement on the twelfth extension for two months until July 31, 2021. The government provided a 5000-baht allowance during the three months (April - June 2020) for each individual who is in the unemployed and vulnerable groups, had been severely affected by COVID-19, and were not eligible for support through the Social Security Act B.E.2533, Section 33.

The partnership between the government and civil society was become a crucial factor for Thailand being able to manage the pandemic. Thailand has strengthened its civil society, known as “the warriors in grey shirts,” which has played an important role to help local communities.[3] Approximately 1.04 million village health volunteers have conducted house-to-house visits to monitor the health of community residents.[4]

Although COVID-19 has been quite well controlled in Thailand, uncertainties remain, and the risk of further outbreaks persists. Most key informants warn that low-level transmission is most likely to happen, with occasional small outbreaks occurring until vaccines are distributed.[5] The government has begun administering vaccines, but progress has been slow. The opposition filed a censure motion against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha over his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2021.[6] On February 17, 2021, the Thai government was scrutinized in parliament over its coronavirus vaccine policy. Opposition lawmakers accused authorities of delaying the start of inoculations and relying on a single vaccine producer.[7]

In February 2021, the first 200,000 doses of Sinovac and 117,600 doses of AstraZeneca arrived in Thailand. Vaccinations were to be provided to those over the age of 60, and those with chronic diseases, in addition to doctors, nurses, and medical staff working closely with infected patients. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet were also part of the first group to receive the vaccine to help build confidence and trust in the vaccination program.

The arrival of the vaccines boosted public confidence and many speculated that the public health situation in Thailand would improve, and the economy would begin to recover in time for the Songkran festival in mid-April. However, due to low public awareness of the pandemic, limited law enforcement, and ineffective government management, Thailand faced a third wave of infections in April 2021. The highly contagious alpha COVID-19 variant, commonly known as the UK variant, was reported in Thailand, which resulted in a new nationwide outbreak centered on nightspots in Bangkok’s upmarket Thong Lor area and Krystal Club. Since the Alpha variant is 1.7 times more contagious and deadlier than previous strains, April 2021 saw a sharp rise in new infection cases including police officers, politicians, Japanese diplomats, government officers, celebrities, and doctors.

The outbreak centered on Krystal Club was a scandalous state failure to control the pandemic. The outbreak rapidly hit 77 provinces within two weeks after the government allowed people to return home for Songkran. The outbreak severely affected the economy, with experts predicting that the tourism industry would lose a further 130,000 million baht in the first quarter of 2021. The third outbreak fostered public anger, especially among the working class and small businesses owners who were severely affected. Each outbreak in Thailand has caused issues for informal laborers who do not have access to social support. Although the managers of Krystal Club were sentenced to two months in jail,[8] many consider the punishment to be too lenient considering the dire national economic consequences. ■

[1] Bureekul, Thawilwadee, Sangmahamad, Ratchawadee, and Moksart, Nuchaprapar, “[ADRN Working Paper] Pandemic Crisis and Democratic Governance in Thailand,” East Asia Institute,
http://www.eai.or.kr/avanplus/filedownload.asp?o_file=20210412232227558402312.pdf&uppath=/data/bbs/eng_workingpaper/&u_file=6.Thailand_PandemicCrisisandDemocraticGovernance.pdf (Accessed April 20, 2021).

[2] United Nations Thailand, “Social Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Thailand,” Oxford Policy Management, December 23, 2020.

[3] Bangkok Post, “Volunteers on the frontline,”
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/1903330/volunteers-on-the-frontline (Accessed April 15, 2021).

[4] WHO, “Thailand's 1 million village health volunteers - “unsung heroes” - are helping guard communities nationwide from COVID-19,”
https://www.who.int/thailand/news/feature-stories/detail/thailands-1-million-village-health-volunteers-unsung-heroes-are-helping-guard-communities-nationwide-from-covid-19 (Accessed August 28, 2020).

[5] United Nations Thailand, “Social Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Thailand,” Oxford Policy Management, December 23, 2020.

[6] Bangkok Post, “PM faces censure motion over virus fight,”
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2046039/pm-faces-censure-motion-over-virus-fight (Accessed May 4, 2021).

[7] Reuters, “UPDATE 1-Thai government feels heat from lawmakers over vaccine rollout,”
https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-thailand-idUSL1N2KN0JH (Accessed May 4, 2021).

[8] Bangkok Post, “Covid hotspot club managers in Bangkok jailed 2 months,”
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2098367/covid-hotspot-club-managers-in-bangkok-jailed-2-months (Accessed April 19, 2021).

■ 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 Junghye Suh, Research Associate
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