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PM: All Departments Should Work Together For Reopening

Through an online statement published on June 20, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha called on all people and government offices to unite and work together to move forward with his plan to reopen Thailand in 120 days.

On Sunday, he said the government’s goal of reopening the country in 120 days would take effect in mid-October.

However, Gen Prayut clarified that authorities must administer the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to at least 50 million residents before executing the plan. His statement read: “I would like to repeat this once again to have all departments and everyone involved to work at their very best.”

“Today, Thai people are fighting very hard for their survival, every day, every week is valuable to them, so let us all work together in order to complete the goal,” he added.

“There might be problems that could affect our work in the meantime, whether it is about delivering vaccines, new COVID-19 mutants, or other matters. But we all have to do our best to achieve our goals,” Gen Prayut went on.

Over the weekend, the prime minister stressed that the 120-day period should be seen as a preparation period instead of a strict “countdown.”

Additionally, he said high vaccination levels were required for provinces and tourist spots to reopen to foreign travelers next month. Since they announced the first reopening plans and Sandboxes, authorities have said that Thailand must inoculate around 70% of its population to achieve herd immunity before admitting tourists’ entry.

In his online status, the prime minister reminded Thais that the reopening is a step-by-step process, with Phuket kicking off the scheme in July.

While the government expects to reach its goal of administering at least 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by October and allowing reopening, failure to meet vaccination objectives or a significant increase in coronavirus cases may delay or cancel the plan to reopen Thai borders to foreigners.

In this regard, Gen Prayut called on all federal and local government departments to operate at their best capacity to achieve the national goal and recover Thailand’s tourism.