BANGKOK – Thailand on Tuesday extended its state of emergency for yet another month to control the spread of the coronavirus, while easing restrictions on the entry of foreigners to gradually reopen its vital tourism industry.
Six extensions have been made since the emergency decree was first issued on March 25 as the government seeks to curb domestic transmission of the virus while averting a full-scale lockdown
International commercial passenger flights have been banned since April 4, but from Thursday, some groups of foreign travelers and business people with special visas will be allowed to enter Thailand, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Thailand has so far reported 3,559 virus cases with 59 fatalities. The last local transmission case was in mid-August.
On Tuesday, 14 new infection cases were reported. All were imported ones, including seven Thai soldiers who returned from their U.N. peacekeeping deployment to South Sudan. (Kyodo News)
