The new measures were announced following a meeting of the Phuket Provincial Communicable Disease Committee, chaired by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew, yesterday (July 26).
The measures were announced through a copy of the order posted online by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) just before 11:30pm last night.
The order is marked to be in effect from today (July 27) until next Monday (Aug 2).
Under the order, all educational institutions on the island, except private schools that have a maximum of five students per class, are to be closed until Aug 16.
Under the previous order all educational institutions were to remain closed until Aug 2.
The order also marks that the Central Phuket shopping mall is to be closed for seven days for cleaning, and that medical staff from the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) will conduct rapid antigen tests on all staff to determine whether they are infected with COVID-19.
“This is to protect our people, as we have found some infected cases from the shopping mall. We just want to save Phuket. Anything we can do to save Phuket, we will do,” Phuket Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong explained at a press conference yesterday before the order was issued.
“The number of new infected cases [sic] has increased to 30 per day. Any protective measure to make Phuket the safest place, we will not hesitate to use them,” he said.
The new order also mandated that all football and futsal venues, and badminton venues, to be closed with immediate effect.
Fresh markets and walking street markets must limit the number of customers at the market, and maintain social distancing of four square metres per person.
The order also reduced the maximum number of people allowed to gather at an approved event from 150 people to only 100 people. Events or activities held by officials are excepted.
Christy Sweet | 29 July 2021 - 00:46:43