Thailand mandates government workers to WFH

The Public Health ministry has also encouraged the private sector to follow suit by letting staff work from home.

Deputy public health minister Sathit Pitutecha said even though patients infected with the new variant have no severe symptoms, efforts must be made to contain the spread of Omicron and keep new cases low to avoid affecting the reopening of the economy. 

“The ministry has a policy for government officials to work from home after New Year to prevent the spread of the virus. On January 4, the first working day after the holiday, we will take another look,” Sathit said.

The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) will review the Omicron situation on January 4 and propose relevant measures, said a government official.

Sathit conceded that the spread of Omicron will be hard to avoid during the New Year countdown parties which involve large gatherings, but if everyone cooperates and the number of new cases after the New Year does not spike, measures would be relaxed further.

Nevertheless, he is concerned about children below the age of 12, as since they are not vaccinated, they have a higher risk of contracting the virus and spreading it.

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As such, the ministry has told hospitals under the supervision of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to be prepared for new cases detected among children, Sathit said. Depending on the rise in cases among children, the government will consider if school children should continue their study online, according to Bangkok Post.