(Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb0Harsh lockdown measures imposed last month were viewed as having limited power to contain the spread of Covid-19 due mainly to ineffective law enforcement, according to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI)'s CEO survey. Up to 78.1% of 201 FTI executives in 45 industries said the measures, implemented since mid-July and covering more provinces last month, only stopped the outbreak to some extent. Only 6.5% of respondents said the measures could effectively control the virus while 15.4% said the lockdown failed to cope with the outbreak. Their doubt over toothless laws to deal with such issues as illegal entry of migrant workers was viewed as the top reason (72.6%) behind the ineffective lockdown, said Wirat Uanarumit, vice-chairman of the FTI. The government currently focuses on four industries -- automotive, electronics, food and medical equipment -- in firms employing over 500 workers.

Source: Bangkok Post August 31, 2021 23:51 UTC