New Year countdown celebrations will be allowed to take place in Bangkok, though patrons will be required to wear face masks in areas where crowds gather.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Wednesday the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will ramp up its Covid-19 control measures during the New Year festival, with clear safety protocols that revellers will be expected to follow -- especially those who are considered at high risk of catching the disease.
Venues and event organisers who wish to hold a public New Year celebration are required to seek permission from City Hall, but to date, only Central World has applied for a permit to hold mass gatherings on Dec 31, he said.
He also said more vaccination sites would be opened to ensure those who wish to get a booster shot before the New Year can do so. The decision was taken as the main vaccination centre at the Thai-Japan Bangkok Youth Centre is often overcrowded, especially at weekends.
Deputy Bangkok governor Tavida Kamolvej urged event organisers and patrons to strictly abide by the government's Covid control guidelines to ensure everyone's safety around the New Year holidays.
She also asked event organisers to consider reducing the size of their events to ensure authorities can respond quickly to emergencies.
Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand is seeing an uptick in Covid-19 infections, particularly in tourist-oriented provinces.
About 97% of new Covid patients are deemed high-risk individuals, many of whom were either unvaccinated or failed to get a booster more than three months since their last shot.
In October, the government said it aimed to administer at least 2 million booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines by year-end. But with just two weeks to go, only 800,000 doses have been given.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, Dr Winyoo Jannet, deputy chief of the provincial public health office, said the province's 32 districts logged 1,541 new cases, bringing the total number to 12,957 since October.
There were 15 deaths, and 2,415 patients are currently being treated, he said.
In Nonthaburi, the abbot of Wat Bang Muang said the temple has cremated more than 2,500 bodies of Covid-19 patients since the onset of the pandemic.
Since last month, the temple has cremated 60 bodies, the abbot said.