Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has welcomed Thailand's 18-place jump on the Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking index as the country yesterday resumed its quarantine-free Test & Go scheme for vaccinated international tourists.
From 44th last April, Thailand placed 26th out of 53 countries in Bloomberg's latest monthly index released last Thursday, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said yesterday.
The Resilience Ranking is a monthly index Bloomberg has compiled since November 2020 comparing how Covid-19 is being most effectively addressed.
Upon learning about the new ranking, Gen Prayut gave credit to all the agencies working hard to contain Covid-19 and its consequences, as well as to the public for cooperating and complying with the government's Covid-19 control measures, the spokesman said.
Proof of success was the low death rate among infected patients currently and a good balance between maintaining strict control on the spread of the coronavirus and supporting the economy's recovery, he said.
Mr Thanakorn said Thailand had risen 18 places in the rankings since last April because of its improvement in Covid-19 vaccination coverage, considerably lower Covid-19 mortality and flexibility in its easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
The country had also received positive views from many economists who foresee Thailand achieving rapid economic recovery and growth.
Mr Thanakorn said the prime minister wants Thailand to continue adjusting to the changing pandemic situation to make its handling of the impact as effective as possible, he said.
The PM also emphasised the need for Thailand to continue living with Covid-19 by maintaining sufficient Covid-19 control measures while at the same time working towards improving the country's economy, he said.