Thailand will be able to celebrate Songkran this year, providing the number of coronavirus infections continue to fall, the deputy health minister has said.
The Songkran celebrations in 2020 had to be cancelled due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
But the famous water festival, which marks the beginning of Thai New Year, is set to return in all its glory.
Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha has said that if people continue to follow the preventative measures put in place to limit the spread of the virus, then the Songkran water festival will go ahead as normal in April.
Mr Sathit added that it is expected Thailand will continue to see over one hundred new cases per day for some time to come.
This is because the preventive measures put in place are not as strict as during the first outbreak of the virus last year.
However, the government was also concerned about the impact stricter measures would have on the economy.
Mr Sathit’s comments suggested the government was trying to balance controlling the new wave of infections without further damaging the beleaguered economy.
The news comes as Thailand on Wednesday recorded another sharp fall in the number of new infections, with health officials reporting 157 new cases, down from 287 new cases reported on Tuesday. – Sanook
