Guidelines being drafted for life and business amid Covid-19

Guidelines for a "new normal" living amid virus situation is now being drafted, as the government and the private sector have discussed gradual reopening of businesses, Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Friday (April 17).

Though the number of new confirmed cases are showing a downward trend, Taweesin emphasised that people should not get carried away and become complacent.

He said the government was pleased with the two-digit number of new cases and was considering relaxing some restrictions. However, people need to follow good practices such as keeping a two-metre distance between people, wearing mask and washing hands regularly. “If you follow good practices, the government has no reason to force you to keep up with the rules.”

He revealed the government will relax the measures by following six WHO recommendations.

Despite all the personal and economic pain the coronavirus has caused, WHO officials say that it is too soon to get back to normal because any premature attempts to restart economies could trigger secondary peaks in Covid-19 cases. They have warned that the process must be deliberate and widely coordinated.

Any government that wants to start lifting restrictions, must first meet six conditions, according to WHO:
1 Disease transmission is under control.
2 Health systems are able to "detect, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact".
3 Hot spot risks are minimised in vulnerable places, such as nursing homes.
4 Schools, workplaces and other essential places have established preventive measures.
5 The risk of importing new cases "can be managed".
6 Communities are fully educated, engaged and empowered to live under a new normal.

The worldwide number of Covid-19 cases has crossed 2.1 million, including more than 145,000 deaths.

This is an example of guidelines for a barbershop if government lets them reopen:

Advice for operators
Venue: Arrange seating and mattress for hair washing at least one metre apart and no waiting seats in the shop, but use the cue card or call the customer when available instead.
Duration: Services that take less than two hours, such as hair washing, haircut only.
Service: Refrain from service that requires sharing equipment that cannot be cleaned after use, such as make-up equipment
Staff: Everyone wears a cloth mask. Wash hands every time you serve a customer. Employees must stop working if they have fever or respiratory symptoms.
Cleaning: Wash the equipment with water and detergent each time after serving each customer, wipe the contact surface every hour with antiseptic. Place an alcohol hand cleansing gel at the shop entrance.

Advice for service recipients
- Wear a cloth mask all the time in the barbershop
- Wash your hands with alcohol gel before entering the store.

He said that the government will start to consider the guidelines for all service places next week if the number of new cases remains at a low number.