The government may start to ease the curfew by the end of this month if Covid-19 cases continue to fall. However, Siriraj Hospital is urging the authorities to do so sooner.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Wednesday reported 30 new cases of the coronavirus, increasing the national figure to 2,643.
The government imposed a nationwide curfew between 10pm and 4am from April 3 to April 30 as a measure to combat coronavirus transmission.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, speaking after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, noted a decline in the number of newly recorded virus cases per day.
He said the curfew will be reviewed during the last week of this month as the government looks for alternative measures to flatten the curve of infections.
Restrictions will be gradually eased but measures to prevent a second wave of infections must be put in place, Gen Prayut said, adding the CCSA also will consider whether to extend the nationwide state of emergency, which is set to expire on April 26.
"I have realised that restrictions under the emergency decree have affected people," he said.
"The government is trying to come up with alternative measures."
Prasit Watanapa, dean at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, said curfew restrictions should begin to be relaxed after April 22, following a 14-day incubation period for new infections.
The suggestion to ease curfews early followed a request from the business sector.
