Emergency extended; curbs until end of July: The state of emergency has been extended for another two months to bring the current Covid-19 outbreak under control, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Bangkok Post
Testing the stagflation waters: A combination of sluggish economic growth, relatively high unemployment and a worrying inflation figure may be an omen, but several analysts suggest the situation is not critical. Thailand’s economy has been mired in a contraction for five consecutive quarters, starting with a 1.8% dip in the first quarter of 2020 followed by an alarming 12.2% nosedive in the second quarter. Bangkok Post
SPV77 ready to raise B2.4bn in ICO: Tokens to cost 10 baht each and will be sub-divided into two tranches. SPV77 Co Ltd plans to raise 2.4 billion baht through the launch of 240 million real estate-backed digital tokens, priced 10 baht each, in Thailand’s first initial coin offering (ICO) filed for approval with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Bangkok Post
Government’s decided the 2nd dose of AstraZeneca vaccines will now be administered 16 weeks after the 1st dose, as opposed to 10 weeks, insisting the delay will not have any negative effect on the immune response against Covid.
The economy is expected to achieve 2% growth this year, if the govt meets the target of 100m doses within this year, said BOT’s senior director for the Financial Stability Department.
Second AZ dose ‘after 16 weeks’: Govt changes policy amid shortage fears. The government has decided that the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccines will now be administered 16 weeks after the first dose, as opposed to 10 weeks, insisting the delay won’t have any negative effect on the immune response against Covid-19. Bangkok Post
B500bn to save economy: Exec decree for loan comes into effect. An executive decree allowing the Finance Ministry to borrow 500 billion baht to fight Covid-19 has come into effect and it is hoped it will stimulate economic growth in 2021-2022 by another 1.5%, according to Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith. Bangkok Post
Exports report robust growth in April: Exports are maintaining healthy growth momentum, fetching more than US$20 billion for three consecutive months and recording the highest growth rate in 36 months in April. The Commerce Ministry reported yesterday exports rose for a second consecutive month, jumping by 13.1% year-on-year to $21.4 billion in April, after 8.47% growth in March and a 2.59% contraction in February. Bangkok Post
The Chulabhorn Royal Academy’s (CRA) plan to import “alternative Covid vaccines” from Sinopharm, yesterday triggered criticism over the govt’s vaccine procurement plan, as Government had repeatedly put a break on private hospital’s earlier attempts.
Supreme Admin Court ordered Government Lottery Office (GLO) to pay >Bt1.65b in damages to LOXLEY in a dispute over the online lottery saga.
