To splash or not the splash? That’s one of many questions Thai authorities officers will be mulling right now as they think about tips on how to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 infections throughout subsequent month’s Songkran festivities.
This year Thailand will take a 5-day break from April thirteen to 1 in celebration of Songkran, or the Thai New Year, for the first time since 2019. The government cancelled the popular water splashing pageant the previous two years as a result of pandemic.
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Although the competition has been given a green light, Songkran celebrators returning to their hometowns might find themselves splashing rather less water this 12 months — and at farther distances — because the Public Health Ministry has proposed a “water splashing” ban yesterday.
At today’s assembly, the Public Health Ministry, Culture Ministry and Tourism and Sports Ministry are as a end result of present their health precautions and celebration pointers for this year’s festivities. The CCSA will be asked to allow Songkran celebrations to be held according to the proposal.
It will embrace restrictions on conventional Songkran activities, which is ready to only be allowed to happen in particular areas with Covid-19 prevention measures in place. This contains merit-making and “rod-nam-dam-hua” or pouring water on the hands of respected relatives.
While the proposed pointers could seem like a celebratory killjoy, they could be extra lenient than an earlier recommendation from the Medical Services Department, which has said individuals returning to their hometowns during Songkran ought to keep away from the “rod-nam-dam-hua” custom fully to reduce back the danger of infecting the elderly. Instead, the division has suggested folks to bow as a substitute — from a minimum of one metre away.
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The Disease Control Department may even propose its own set of precautions and measures at today’s CCSA meeting, based on Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Ministry Anutin Charnvirakul.
Instead of imposing a travel ban this 12 months, the government said it’s opting for a nationwide rollout of a third Covid shot for the elderly from March 21 to 31. Triple is to inoculate 70% of Thailand’s 12 million senior residents earlier than Songkran begins, the Bangkok Post reported..g