Abstract
Thailand has been affected by COVID-19, like other countries in the Asian region at an early stage, and the first case was reported as early as mid-January 2020. Thailand’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been guided by the “Integrated Plan for Multilateral Cooperation for Safety and Mitigation of COVID-19”. This paper analyses the health resources in the country and focuses on the response through community-level public health system and legislative measures. The paper draws some lessons on future preparedness, especially with respect to the four priorities of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. At the end, the paper puts some key learning for future preparedness. While Thailand’s response to COVID-19 has been effective in limiting the spread of the disease, it falls short at being able to address the multiple dimensions of the crisis such as the economic and social impacts. The socioeconomic sectors have been hardest hit, with significant impact on tourism sectors. Sociopolitical system also plays an important role in governance and decision-making for pandemic responses. The analysis suggests that one opportunity for enhancing resilience in Thailand is to strive for more multilevel governance that engages with various stakeholders and to support grassroots and community-level networks. The COVID-19 pandemic recovery is a chance to recover better while leaving no one behind. An inclusive long-term recovery plan for the various impacted countries needs to take a holistic approach to address existing gaps and work towards a sustainable society. Furthering the Health Emergency Disaster Risk Management (HEDRM) Framework may support a coordinated response across various linked sectors rather than straining one particular sector.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis without precedent in living memory, which is testing our collective capacity to respond” (OECD, 2020 [1])
While Thailand’s response to COVID-19 has been quite effective in limiting the spread of the disease, it falls short at being able to address the multiple dimensions of the crisis, such as the economic and social impacts
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Reduction helps highlight how Thailand’s approach to COVID-19 does not comprehensively address the issue of resilience—there are limited considerations given to building resilience against climate change or other epidemics
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis without precedent in living memory, which is testing our collective capacity to respond” (OECD, 2020 [1]). (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the infectious COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) was first identified in Wuhan, China December 2019 and spread across the globe. The impact of COVID-19 in different countries has varied significantly due to factors including but not limited to governmental response, demographics, and healthcare infrastructure. This paper focuses on the experience of COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. As a popular destination for Chinese tourists, it was in Thailand that the first COVID-19 patient outside of China was identified on 13 January 2020. At the end of the same month, the first case of domestic transmission and the 16th patient in Thailand was identified. The number of COVID-19 patients remained relatively low until there was a rise in domestic infections in mid-March. A key event was a boxing match at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, which took place on 6 March 2020 despite a ban on large gatherings that was put in place days before
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