Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday insisted on holding a lot more public events aimed at improving the economy, stating they are not to blame for the particular rise in new Covid-19 infections.
He was responding to concerns raised from the Ministry of General public Health over the dangers posed by City Hall’s launch of an outdoor film event in the city.
“If there is a sound reason for all of us to call off these activities, we will be more than happy to stop… but to terminate without any good reason will only make people stress, ” the governor said.
“As for now, given that there has not been any clear sign that we should cease, we will stick to our own plan, ” he said.
Outdoor activities pull people away from closed spaces such as shopping malls where the risk of Covid-19 spreading is definitely possibly higher, this individual added.
Nevertheless, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will heed advice by health government bodies and heighten Covid-19 screening, including applying antigen tests, on its next activity, an orchestral contest which is to be kept in an enclosed area.
Additional measures the BMA yesterday resolved to consider include pro-active screening at schools to slice the risk of students transferring the virus onto members of the family, he said.
Booster photos will also be offered within communities for at-risk groups, including the seniors and those with fundamental medical conditions, he stated.
Mister Chadchart yesterday failed to attend the Public Health Ministry’s emergency conference where he was expected to be asked in order to scale back public routines, claiming not to were formally requested to go to in person by the ministry. Dr Wantanee Wattana, a deputy town clerk, attended in his place.
Dr Wantanee insisted that all the BMA’s activities are being kept in line with the Centre designed for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s regulations, although the lady hoped the declining number of new infections may see them comfortable in favour of a better balance between public health security and economic growth.
“We have purely followed the ministry’s guidance, and have not found any groupings arising from such activities. If this happens, we will postpone or cancel those activities immediately, ” the lady said.