Long weekend travel raises virus fears
published : 1 May 2020 at 14:43
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Post Reporters
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) is concerned about the possibility of increased virus transmission as many head to their home provinces for the long weekend.
Traffic police and other social media showed heavy traffic on Friday, the start of a four-day holiday in Thailand. FM91 Traffic Police radio and Jor Sor 100 traffic radio reported bumper-to-bumper traffic for kilometres on one of the most congested highways, Road 304 from Bangkok towards Nakhon Ratchasima.
Vehicles exiting Bangkok jammed Mittraphab Highway towards the northeastern region, roads to Pattaya and other eastern provinces and the Asian Highway and Pahonyothin Road to the North.
The exodus came as the country begins a four-day holiday period, starting on Labour Day on Friday and finishing on Coronation Day on Monday. People can get extra two days if they take Tuesday off as the coming Wednesday is another public holiday, Visakha Bucha Day.
Some airlines also resumed domestic flights on Friday.
"It is a deepening worry," CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said on Friday.
He urged travellers to stay at home after arriving at their destinations.
"You have to follow the rules in your province," he added.
Vocabulary
- bumper-to-bumper: of a line of cars that are tightly packed together one after another - ติดขัดมาก
- congested: too blocked or crowded and causing difficulties - แน่นขนัด
- deepen (verb): to become worse; to make something worse; to improve your knowledge or understanding of something - ทำให้ลึกยิ่งขึ้น
- exodus: a situation in which a lot of people leave a place or activity at the same time - การจากไปของผู้คนเป็นจำนวนมาก
- jammed: to become very crowded with people or things - แน่นขนัด
- province: one of many divisions of the government of a country into smaller parts - จังหวัด
- traffic (noun): the number of cars, trucks and other vehicles traveling along a road at one time - การจราจร
