Govt u-turns on Mor Chana
App important, but travel docs will do
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday urged people to download onto their smartphone a Covid-19 contact-tracing app called “Mor Chana”. However, there would be no punishments for those who do not download it, so long as they inform officials of their travel plans when crossing provincial borders.
His remark came yesterday afternoon after an announcement made by Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesman. He said use of the app would be mandatory in the declared maximum-control zones, a statement that was strongly opposed by some critics and sparked uproar online.
Many pointed towards the fact that there are many Thais who still don’t have access to a smartphone and would be unable to download the app.
The CCSA spokesman earlier told a daily press briefing on the Covid-19 situation that people would have to install the Mor Chana app onto their mobile phones and use it together with Thai Chana, an app used for checking into and out of public places.
This mandate was meant to strictly apply to people residing in areas declared maximum-control zones who might otherwise be liable to a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine of up to 40,000 baht if found violating the directive, he said.
“Anyone who is infected with Covid19 and fails to have downloaded the Mor Chana app will be regarded as having intentionally defied the directive and may face up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of 40,000 baht, not to mention more punishments for covering up their travel history,” he said.
For the five provinces in the “maximum and strict control zones,” namely Rayong, Chon Buri, Trat, Chanthaburi and Samut Sakhon, travellers leaving those provinces will need travel permits issued by their local leaders identifying the need to travel and their itinerary.
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul later yesterday responded to growing public frustrations over the Mor Chana app mandate announced yesterday morning, saying in a Facebook post he had already convinced the PM that the mandate would be a burden to many people.
He was prepared to ameliorate the government’s stance.
“The PM has agreed with my explanation and will amend the order (requiring all people to have the Mor Chana app on their smartphones) and allow the use of paper-based [Covid19 contact-tracing] instead,” said Mr Anutin.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said anyone who feels uncomfortable with using the Mor Chana app may instead record his or her travel history and submit his or her travel itinerary at a Covid-19 checkpoint when travelling.
However, if that person is later proved to have covered up his or her travel information intentionally in a situation that may cause a new spread of Covid19, the person will be held responsible for such actions, said the spokesman.
Dr Taweesilp said he relayed the CCSA’s announcement of the Mor Chana app mandate as he intended it to be a call for public cooperation to stem the spread of Covid-19 via use of the mobile app.
It’s been almost a month since the first new Covid-19 case was reported in this new wave of the pandemic and although the curve of new infections detected isn’t very steep, the situation is still worrying, which justified the use of this control measure along with other key measures, he said.
Other measures include declaring Samut Sakhon, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat as Covid-19 maximum control zones and cracking down on the illegal smuggling of migrants and illegal gambling houses, he said.
Gen Prayut and Mr Anutin have also agreed on a proposal for every province to set up its own field hospital for treating Covid-19 infected patients so they would not have to be transferred to another province, said Dr Taweesilp.
As soon as the Mor Chana app directive was announced by Dr Taweesilp yesterday, it sparked strong criticism, which was regarded by some critics as a violation of people’s rights.
Ponson Liengboonlertchai, a law lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, said compulsion could be against the constitution as it would result in a burden on the public and would severely limit their rights and freedom, an act prohibited under Section 26 of the charter.
Mr Anucha also assured the government now has the ability to pool budgetary resources of up to two trillion baht to fund its new Covid relief measures.
Emotions ran high at a number of district offices, where residents of eastern provinces which had been declared maximum and strict Covid-19 control areas were seen queuing for hours to get a permit to travel.
Within the first hour of opening, the district office at Rayong’s Muang district saw more than 100 people stream in to apply for travel permits. As the day progressed, the sheer number of applicants forced authorities to move the dedicated booth to a meeting hall which offered more space.
“The movement restriction came out of the blue. All of a sudden, everyone has to get in line to get a piece of paper to leave the province,” said Sorot Chamchuen, 69, a vegetable trader based in Rayong, who routinely picks up produce from the distribution centre at Talad Thai market in Pathum Thani.
“We’re afraid of breaking the law, on top of our fears of contracting Covid-19.”
A Rayong-based shrimp vendor, who asked not to be named, said, “Before the authorities announce a regulation that must be followed, they need to think of the people and give them enough time to prepare first.”
She said that even officials seemed ill-prepared to enforce the new restrictions, which were recently published in the Royal Gazette and put into immediate effect.
The new restriction, which applies to Chon Buri, Chanthaburi, Rayong,
Samut Sakhon and Trat, requires those seeking to travel outside their home provinces to secure a permit from their local district office.
All of the provinces affected by the movement curbs are on the eastern seaboard, with the exception of Samut Sakhon.
Until the curb is lifted, residents of those provinces are only allowed to travel to other regions for essential and/or emergency purposes. In order to secure a permit, applicants must produce their national identity cards, along with other documents to vouch for the trip.
The rule has come under criticism from affected residents, as the permits are only valid for one day only. Those who are caught travelling outside their home provinces may face jail time, a fine, or both.
Just like in Rayong, the Muang district office in Chon Buri was packed with people seeking to get a travel permit, and very few people maintained social distancing, it was observed.
Prakasit Sueksongkram, assistant chief of Muang district office, said the office has opened a dedicated booth to process the permit applications, adding the booth operates around the clock. Despite that, a permit seeker who declined to be named, told the Bangkok Post that he had yet to receive his permit despite having queued for 2.5 hours since 6am.
The man, a hired hand based in Chon Buri who needed to commute to work in Samut Prakan, said the requirement is impractical. “It’s troublesome. But it’s the rule,” he said.
Officers at the booth said it was up to the governor and district chiefs to decide if issuing a weekly pass for the sake of convenience would be worth the infection risk.
Similarly packed scenes could be seen at other district offices in other provinces.
In Trat, Jutarat Chumsawasdi, assistant chief of Khao Saming district, was present at the permit-issuing booth to sign the permits and speed up the process.
She said while more than 200 people sought to apply for travel permits yesterday, many did not understand the application steps, which needed explaining.
Udomsilp Jamkham, a Trat resident, said he delivers goods every day to Si Sa Ket. He said he is planning to ask for several passes in advance.