Wissanu says decree helps uniformity
The emergency decree is still needed to keep a single, nationwide standard in handling the spread of Covid-19 so the government can react quickly, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Kreangam said.
His comments were delivered after a meeting with US ambassador Michael George DeSombre at Government House yesterday.
Mr Wissanu said the US ambassador asked why the government had to extend the emergency decree for another month. He gave two main reasons.
First, he said the Communicable Disease Act doesn’t grant any authority to the government but to the provincial governors, prompting fears there would 77 different standards for handling Covid-19 containment across the country.
The emergency decree allows for a single standard to be applied nationally, said Mr Wissanu.
Next, he said keeping the decree in place would allow the government to promptly respond to the needs of those people affected by Covid-19 containment measures, including the lockdown on some businesses.
Also, provincial governors will feel more confident in making decisions on Covid-19 containment as they will have support from the central government, said Mr Wissanu.
Asked why the US ambassador inquired about the emergency decree extension, Mr Wissanu said he thought the ambassador was simply curious, but not overly concerned about the decision.
The US ambassador also asked about other issues including the rehabilitation plan for Thai Airways International, he said, adding the ambassador steered clear of Thai politics.
Mr Wissanu added that just a few days ago, the ambassador wrote an article praising Thailand’s success in controlling the coronavirus outbreak.
He said he told the ambassador that more restrictions on various activities are set to be relaxed from June 1. That would exclude civil aviation, which will remain suspended until the end of June, sad Mr Wissanu.
The World Health Organization recently warned it would be dangerous if many countries opened up at the same time, potentially resulting in a mass of people travelling from country to country and spreading Covid-19.