As authorities’ over-reaction over Covid-19, a virus with a 99.8% survival rate, continues to batter the already-devastated Thai economy, Kanchanaburi provincial governor Jeerakiat Phumsawad has mandated closed the Kanchanburi-located Srifa Frozen Foods Factory and a Siam Global House store.
Not because either of these places has had employees test positive for Covid-19, but because they are in ‘close proximity to local communities’.
Why is this important?
According to Mr. Jeerkiat, because that proximity ‘might’ spawn new coronavirus clusters.
Both businesses have been mandated to remain closed for at least the next two weeks.
What Mr. Jeerkiat doesn’t explain is how much money both retailers will lose, how many orders will go unfilled by Srifa Frozen Foods Factory, or how this might affect Thailand’s already struggling export industry?
Meanwhile, Kanchanaburi has one of the lowest Covid-19 infection rates in Thailand, but is still under lockdown.
The lockdown has nothing to do with the number of Covid infections in Kanchanaburi province but, according to authorities, was carried out in an attempt to stop more Covid-19 cases being imported from neighboring Myanmar.
As studies throughout the rest of the world are now proving, however, lockdowns do little to stem the infection rate and, in most cases, do nothing but devastate economies.
This has been evidenced in Thailand since the Thai government locked down the country to most international visitors more than 17 months ago.
Meanwhile, Thailand continues to struggle with rapidly increasing Covid-19 cases along with one of the world’s worst Covid-19 vaccine shortages.
A shortage the Thai government still seems unable to fix.