Thais hit malls as lockdown loosens
Shopping centers using scanners, tracking apps
BANGKOK — Thais streamed into shopping malls on Sunday, again enjoying their air-conditioned oases as the country eased one of the restrictions imposed to fight the coronavirus.
The government allowed malls to reopen after the number of new virus cases in Thailand dwindled to single digits for all but one day over more than two weeks. Malls had been closed since March.
Thailand’s tropical climate has made shopping malls an integral part of life in the country, especially in Bangkok, the sweltering capital.
Student Baiplu Chaonuam expressed her relief at returning to a Bangkok mall. “I started to get used to staying home, but to be able to come back out and look around at things is an improvement from staying in,” she said.
But the mall experience might not be as carefree as it was before the virus, with measures instituted to reduce the danger that the malls will become new infection hot spots.
Thermal scanners check temperatures for signs of fever, and each shopper must pass through a disinfectant mist at every entrance. Everyone must wear a mask and keep it on throughout their stay. No crowding on the escalators, as people must keep a two-step distance from those in front of them.
And shoppers must use their smartphones to register electronically when entering and leaving a mall and when entering and leaving individual stores. If someone later falls ill, this stored data will be used to trace and contact anyone who might have been in contact with them at the mall.
Contact tracing apps have been adopted in many countries, raising concerns among privacy advocates. But the Thai government has said the data will be used only for public health purposes.
“To be able to go out again could help people relax,” said one mall-goer, Jariya Seriyothin. “But we still have to be careful when we come out and not let all these easing measures make us forget about everything.”
The coronavirus crisis has hit the already-struggling Thai economy hard. Millions of people have been laid off, with little immediate prospect of a return to work for many of them.