The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has postponed downgrading Covid-19 to an endemic disease -- an announcement it expected to make yesterday -- to a later date following a rise in infections of the more transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants.
Gen Supoj Malaniyom, secretary-general of the National Security Council, said the original plan had to be revised out of concern for a recent spike in lung infections among new Covid-19 cases, which hit 684 on Thursday, marking a steep climb over the past two weeks.
The Public Health Ministry will revise its measures and plans before submitting them to the CCSA next week, Gen Supoj said.
At present, the Public Health Ministry has adequate capacity to handle daily cases as beds at hospitals nationwide were occupied at only 9%, he said. However, if that figure rises above 25% then measures will be elevated.
Gen Supoj also told media the government must continue to impose the executive decree on public administration in emergency situations so as to better manage the pandemic.
"If the Covid-19 situation im- proves, which we expect will happen, and if it is possible that all normal laws can be enforced, we will do it right away," Gen Supoj said.
"But today there are still many conditions that concern the Ministry of Public Health and that cannot be handled with normal laws. So [the state of emergency] must continue."