The Department of Rail Transport, Ministry of Transport has announced that all rail commuters must wear face masks at all times starting March 25, Wednesday. Here is an update from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
The guidelines cover both commuters and operators of rail transport in Thailand; namely, the State Railway of Thailand, Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRT Subway), Airport Rail Link, Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS Skytrain), and Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM).
Effective as of 25 March, 2020, the guidelines include:
Wearing a mask – Commuters should wear surgery or cloth masks when inside the trains and in the stations.
Social distancing – The operators should take appropriate action to ensure that all commuters maintain a distance of at least two metres from each other.
Protecting staff – The operators should heighten health measures among staff to protect themselves, as they are working with large crowds.
Be prepared – The operators should prepare appropriate areas to distribute surgery or cloth marks to ensure that all commuters wear masks at all times when commuting in the rail transport systems.
Extra screening – The operators should increase screening points to screen all passengers’ body temperature using handheld thermometers before entering the stations.
In addition, the operators should inform commuters to prepare extra travelling time due to the extra screening. Any commuters with a body temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher, or those who do not cooperate with the screening should not be allowed to enter the rail transport systems and will be referred to the Ministry of Public Health for further appropriate measures.
Please be advised that the announcement by the Department of Rail Transport, Ministry of Transport may change at any time in accordance with the developing situation.
Photo: MRT Bangkok Metro