The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Wednesday approved the extension of the emergency decree for another month until Aug 31. The current ban on public gatherings will, however, be lifted as soon as the extension takes effect.
CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said the extension was necessary because although the coronavirus was still spreading worldwide Thailand was allowing in foreign visitors and easing lockdowns on business and activities that posed a high risk of disease transmission.
The emergency decree allows the government to restrict arrivals, follow up suspected cases of Covid-19 and impose disease control measures on all business and activities, Dr Taweesilp said.
The emergency decree was the government's best tool for imposing a quarantine on infected people, said National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Gen Somsak Roongsita.
"We have already lifted the curfew," Somsak said. "What we will do next is to not enforce Section 9 of the decree, which bans gatherings. That will prove our intentions over disease control."
Meanwhile, the CCSA also approved the entry of foreign business representatives, specialists, diplomats, migrant workers, exhibitors, film crews, medical tourists and Thailand Elite card members.
The Labour Ministry would oversee the arrival of unskilled workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to meet the demand for labour.
This included 69,235 workers who already had work permits and visas and wanted to return to work in Thailand.
Local employers planned to bring in another 42,168 workers who do not already have work permits or visas.
They would be employed in construction and food production, he said.
The companies demanding these workers would have to arrange for "organisational quarantine" at their own premises, where each room could accommodate more than one worker to save them money.
Such quarantine facilities must, however, meet disease control standards and be able to prevent migrant workers from getting out during quarantine.
Conventional state quarantine, in which a room is only used by one person, would cost nearly 20,000 baht per person and that was not wanted by the companies, Dr Taweesilp said.
