The government has extended the state of emergency for another two months, until the end of September, to continue to facilitate Covid-19 controls and protect people's lives, according to a spokesman.
The decision was made during the weekly Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) meeting yesterday, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
After the meeting, CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said the state of emergency, set to expire at the end of this month, has been extended from Aug 1 to Sept 30.
It is the 19th extension of the emergency decree since it was first imposed on March 26, 2020, following the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic.
The state of emergency was imposed by virtue of the Executive Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations.
"The prime minister, in his capacity as CCSA director, stressed that the extension is intended only to control the disease and protect people's lives," he said.
The government has no intention to use it to limit people's freedoms, he said, referring to public criticism the decree is being used to curtail democratic rights.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the prime minister said at the meeting the number of infections caused by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants is increasing in several countries, and they are expected to take over as the dominant global strains.
Even though there is no clear information confirming that the subvariants are more transmissible or severe compared with the BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants, people are still advised to get booster shots to prevent the virus's worst effects, Mr Thanakorn said, quoting Gen Prayut.
New infections in Thailand are also increasing after many restrictions were eased, he said.
Therefore, the prime minister instructed the Public Health Ministry to pay attention to the condition of patients, virus mutations, particularly the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, and gather information for analysis, Mr Thanakorn said.
With the recent surge in new infections, the ministry was told to ensure sufficient supplies of medicine, hospital beds and medical personnel and continue developing test kits, Mr Thanakorn said.
