The National Communicable Disease Committee expects the number of new coronavirus cases and fatalities to fall over the next few months, with Covid-19 becoming an endemic disease by July 1.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the plan to declare the disease endemic, as in European countries, is to facilitate tourism and economic recovery.

To be able to classify Covid-19 as endemic within the next four months, the country would have to contain new infections and fatalities, and have sufficient resources for treatment, including medications.

At the same time, the general public would have to take serious precautions to prevent infections, including receiving vaccinations and booster shots, Mr Anutin said.

The government would not ban inter-provincial trips during the Songkran festival, but people must take serious measures to protect themselves and avoid crowded places during the period, he said.

The Department of Disease Control said that to achieve the endemic status, the Covid-19 fatality rate must not exceed one in 1,000 cases or 0.1%. At present the rate is at 0.19%-0.2%.