Thailand Post will charge people sending a parcel weighing up to one kilogramme 19 baht each, starting on Tuesday, as part of a measure to accommodate online shopping in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
“The move is to make it more convenient for people buying necessities, particularly consumer goods, via online shops, preventing them from shopping out of home during the outbreak,” said Thailand Post president Korkij Danchaivichit.
The campaign starts today and runs until April 30 at post offices across the country.
It is also meant to help move the economy forward, he said.
Parcels under the campaign will be delivered to destinations within 2-5 days, can be tracked and are entitled to a maximum payment of 1,000 baht per item in indemnity.
For people wanting to use a cash on delivery (COD) service, an extra of 10 baht per item will be charged for a product worth up to 30,000 baht, Mr Korkij said.
He said Thailand Post will disinfect all the touching points in post offices’ operations every 30 minutes.
Disinfectant will be sprayed on parcels coming from abroad while employees will have health checks every time before they go out for work, said Mr Korkij.
Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta said one of the key measures for combating the outbreak is to prevent people from travelling to risky areas or crowded places.
Accordingly, the DES ministry, which oversees Thailand Post, has a policy to support people shopping online to reduce the chances of contracting the disease when going shopping out of home.
Thailand Post has been instructed by the DES Ministry to facilitate delivery with affordable prices, he said.
Mr Korkij directed the company to heighten safety measures along the postal procedures, particularly those connected with customers, to boost public confidence.