Thais 'willing' to wear masks in public

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Saturday livestreams from his phone before taking his morning run at Lumpini Park without a mask.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Saturday livestreams from his phone before taking his morning run at Lumpini Park without a mask.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed satisfaction over news that most Thais are voluntarily wearing masks for protection against Covid-19 despite the mask mandate being lifted on Thursday.

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) recommends that people with underlying conditions, the elderly and pregnant women who have yet to get boosters keep wearing masks.

Those who are healthy can discard the mask when alone, exercising, eating, drinking or in an open space where social distancing is possible, the DDC said.

Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong, meanwhile, says masks are still required at education institutions, except for when attending outdoor activities.

However, Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Saturday showed that people can now take off their masks in open spaces by doing his morning run at Lumpini Park without one.

Since the government lifted the mask mandate, people can now go mask-free outside while staying one metre away from others, Mr Chadchart told the media after his daily jog.

"The law has changed, but we shouldn't take the situation for granted as the Omicron variant remains active," he said.

As the Covid-19 situation has gradually improved, measures have started to ease to enable people to resume economic activities.

In addition, the legal hours for the sale of alcohol at restaurants and entertainment venues have been extended to 2am as approved by a recent Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) meeting.

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Vocabulary

  • discard: to get rid of something that you no longer want or need - ละทิ้ง, ทอดทิ้ง, ทิ้งไป
  • extend: to add more time - ยืดออกไป
  • institutions: large and important organizations, such as universities or banks - สถาบัน
  • mandate: an official order to do something - คำสั่ง
  • measures: actions that are intended to achieve or deal with something - มาตราการ
  • pregnant: having a baby developing inside the body - ท้อง ตั้งครรภ์
  • take for granted (idiom): to expect someone/something will always be there for you; to fail to give something its true importance; to believe something is true without first making sure that it is - ไม่เห็นคุณค่า, ทึกทัก
  • underlying (adj): important in a situation but not always easily noticed or stated clearly; existing under the surface of something else - ที่สำคัญและซ่อนอยู่, ที่อยู่ในตำแหน่งต่ำกว่า
  • voluntarily: done because you choose to do it rather than because you have to - ด้วยความสมัครใจ
  • willing: to be happy to do something if it is needed - ซึ่งสมัครใจ, ซึ่งมีความตั้งใจ
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