Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha declared, on Wednesday, that the entire country would be under a state of emergency from March 26 to April 30 due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
The measure has been approved by the cabinet and can be extended if necessary.
The state of emergency allows the government to restrict travel, declare curfews, and shut down media spreading false information.
“We understand that this will cause our citizens some inconvenience but sacrifices are necessary to stop the spread of the disease,” Prayut said.
The prime minister also said that there would be zero tolerance for profiteering or incompetency as the country struggles to keep the number of cases down.
“I am ready to bring down the full weight of the law on those would take advantage of the situation while their fellow citizens are suffering,” Prayut said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of a coronavirus action centre that would be chaired by himself to better coordinate the country’s response to the outbreak.
New numbers
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health confirmed on Wednesday 107 more coronavirus patients bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 934.
It is the fourth straight day that the total number of cases rose by a 100 or more patients.
Of that number 70 people have been discharged while 860 remain in hospital.