Maskless Thai PM fined as Covid cases spike

(File photo) Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha

Thailand’s prime minister was yesterday fined for not wearing a mask after new Covid-19 restrictions came into force to try to halt the country’s spiralling outbreak. Wearing masks is now compulsory in public spaces in 49 provinces and the capital, Bangkok – where the latest outbreak has been traced back to a nightlife district. Some locations are backing up that requirement with a 20,000 baht ($640) fine. After a picture of a maskless Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha attending a meeting emerged on social media yesterday, the Bangkok governor said the premier had been fined 6,000 baht ($190). “As Bangkok governor, I filed a complaint against the prime minister who accepted the fine,” governor Aswin Kwanmuang wrote on Facebook. Some 2,048 new cases were announced in Thailand yesterday. The day before, the country recorded its highest single-day death toll of the pandemic, with 11 fatalities. Until the latest outbreak, Thailand had managed to keep infections down thanks to strict travel restrictions and swift action to isolate confirmed cases. But there have been complaints about the slow rollout of vaccines, with the kingdom lagging behind other countries in the region. “It’s a failure in management from the health ministry,” said 61-year-old restaurant manager Pracha. Prayut said on Facebook the government was trying to source more doses and ramp up the programme to inoculate 300,000 people a day. In addition to the mask requirement, authorities in the capital have closed a raft of venues including cinemas, parks, gyms, swimming pools, spas and nurseries. Pranee Namrat, a 48-year-old seafood vendor, said she was frightened the situation would get worse. “If I got infected... I’m scared of not having a place for treatment,” she said.