Covid-19 News & Updates

[Nereus]

In other words: Thailand closes to tourism but girls can get their nails done so all is fine.

Err, it is not only girls that have to get their nails done! I can no longer reach my toes to cut my own nails, and as for my hair I am starting to look like this:

haircut.png (74.87 KiB) Viewed 877 times

[thecolonel]

One way the gubermint could have more money available is to do like New Zealand; the prime minister and and mp's etc. are taking a 50% pay cut for 8 months.

In practical terms what good would that do?

Practically? It helps quell an awful lot of public unrest.

Which, IMO, is about to really kick off around the world as financial worries start to seriously mount....

All leading economics experts agree you can't stop the World's economy for a month and then just expect it to start again!

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

[buksida]

‘NOT ENOUGH MONEY,’ PRAYUT SLASHES 3-MONTH RELIEF PROGRAM
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday said the government may be able to pay only one month of the promised three-month cash relief package for workers affected by the coronavirus epidemic.

The government had earlier planned to give 5,000 baht cash handout to temporary, contract, and self-employed workers who are not covered by the social security system for three consecutive months, beginning this April. Officials also said the program might even be extended for six months, if the pandemic does not subside.

But speaking to the media after the Cabinet meeting this afternoon, Prayut said the government is struggling to secure funding for the next round of handouts.

“I feel sympathetic and sorry for the people,” Prayut said. “I have to admit that the government had initially planned to allocate the 50 billion baht budget to help three million people for three months.”

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics ... f-program/


How about dipping into that kitty that the billionaire business families gave you to keep hold of their monopolies?

[caller]

I think this means the end of the lockdown is nigh.

[sateeb]

Thailand discovers 29 new coronavirus infections

Thailand’s government said on Thursday that it had discovered 29 new coronavirus infections bringing the total number of infected to 2,672.

It continues a lowering trend of new infections with no increase of three digits in over a week.

There was 3 new fatalities bringing the death toll to 46.

96 more patients have recovered from the virus bringing the total number of discharged patients to 1,593.

“People say that the numbers are encouraging and they’re beginning to ignore our social isolation programs and congregating,” said government spokesman Dr Thaweesin Visanuyothin. “I am reminding you that the reason the numbers are low is because of the moves the government has made.”

“If you continue to congregate, in 14 days we may have an increase in infection numbers.”

https://www.thaienquirer.com/11634/thai ... d-program/

[musungu]

One way the gubermint could have more money available is to do like New Zealand; the prime minister and and mp's etc. are taking a 50% pay cut for 8 months.

In practical terms what good would that do?

Practically? It helps quell an awful lot of public unrest.

Which, IMO, is about to really kick off around the world as financial worries start to seriously mount....

All leading economics experts agree you can't stop the World's economy for a month and then just expect it to start again!

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

I cannot see what this has to do with Thailand MPs etc taking a pay cut?

[sateeb]

WW2 veteran completes 100th lap of garden
He's done it!

World War Two veteran Captain Tom Moore, 99, has completed 100 laps of his garden in an effort which has raised more than £12m for the NHS.

He originally wanted to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by completing the distance.

From the BBC

Remarkable, now if there were only millions more like Cpt.Tom. Bloody well done!!

[sateeb]

And now the flip side...

12:43
Thailand bungles virus aid package

Jonathan Head

BBC South East Asia Correspondent

Thai people wearing face masks
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
On Tuesday a crowd of angry, sometimes tearful people gathered in front of Thailand’s finance ministry, to protest their exclusion from a government monthly handout of 5000 baht ($160, £122) for lower-paid workers in the informal sector who have lost their jobs because of the crisis.

More than 20 million people applied for the scheme, but only nine million were approved, although the government is allowing people to appeal against their rejection.

Now Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has acknowledged that the scheme, which was supposed to last for at least three months, and was, perhaps optimistically, titled ‘No-one Left Behind’, in fact has enough funding for only one month of payments.

Any further payments, he said, would depend on him signing new decrees to approve additional economic stimulus.

The Thai government has promised to spend at least $58 billion, around ten percent of GDP, on various measures to help the ailing economy.

One leg of the Thai economy, tourism, has been shattered by the crisis. Another, export manufacturing, has been hit hard.

Household debt has risen over the past decade to around 80 percent of GDP, and most Thai households cannot survive without income for long, unless the government steps in.

[PeteC]

More on the above story.... ^

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics ... f-program/

[Big Boy]

[Big Boy]

Today's numbers:

numbers.jpg (120.94 KiB) Viewed 675 times

[HHTel]

Just because I like the colour green!

April 6th - 51 cases (a reduction of 50% over the previous day)
April 7th - 38 cases (a reduction of 25.5%)
April 8th - 60 cases (an increase of 36%)
April 9th - 54 cases (a reduction of 10%)
April 10th - 50 cases (a reduction of 7.5%)
April 11th - 45 cases (a reduction of 10%)
April 12th - 33 cases (a reduction of 27%)
April 13th - 28 cases (a reduction of 15.2%)
April 14th - 34 cases (an increase of 21%)
April 15th - 30 cases (a reduction of 12%)
April 16th - 29 cases ( a reduction of 3.4%)

[thecolonel]

Just because I like the colour green!

April 6th - 51 cases (a reduction of 50% over the previous day)
April 7th - 38 cases (a reduction of 25.5%)
April 8th - 60 cases (an increase of 36%)
April 9th - 54 cases (a reduction of 10%)
April 10th - 50 cases (a reduction of 7.5%)
April 11th - 45 cases (a reduction of 10%)
April 12th - 33 cases (a reduction of 27%)
April 13th - 28 cases (a reduction of 15.2%)
April 14th - 34 cases (an increase of 21%)
April 15th - 30 cases (a reduction of 12%)
April 16th - 29 cases ( a reduction of 3.4%)

For a country of 70 million the daily no. of reported cases is staggeringly similar!

Together with the general downward trend, it's almost difficult to believe

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[HHTel]

It appears that the 'new' Songkran has been set for 4th - 7th July.

[sateeb]

Some countries might want to reconsider easing restrictions. Are you listening Mr Trump?

Coronavirus lockdown: Lessons from Hokkaido's second wave of infections

It was once seen as something of a success story - a region that worked to contain, trace and isolate the virus - leading to a huge drop in numbers. But Hokkaido is in the spotlight again as it struggles to deal with a second wave of infections.

In late February, Hokkaido became the first place in Japan to declare a state of emergency due to Covid-19.

Schools were closed, large-scale gatherings cancelled and people "encouraged" to stay at home. The local government pursued the virus with determination - aggressively tracing and isolating anyone who'd had contact with victims.

The policy worked and by mid-March the number of new cases had fallen back to one or two a day. On 19 March the state of emergency was lifted, and at the beginning of April, schools re-opened.

But now, just 26 days after the state of emergency was lifted, a new one has had to be imposed.

Hokkaido has acted independently of the central government, which placed Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures under a state of emergency last week. A nationwide state of emergency is expected to be announced on Friday.

Almost a success story
In the last week, Hokkaido has recorded 135 new confirmed cases of Covid-19. Unlike the first outbreak in February, there is no evidence the virus has been re-imported from outside Japan.

None of the new cases are foreigners, nor have any of those infected travelled outside Japan in the last month.

What does this tell us about how the virus outbreak was handled in Hokkaido?

Firstly, if you get on top of it really early, you can get it under control.

"It is relatively easy to tackle clusters, to contact trace and isolate," says Professor Kenji Shibuya of King's College London.

Full story at

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia