Thailand suspends commercial trains

BANGKOK (Xinhua): The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has on Wednesday (April 1)suspended the service of its 44 commercial trains to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

"Many provinces are locked down already so it is not necessary to run trains at those provinces," said SRT acting governor Warawut Mala.

The state enterprise promises to fully refund money for the people who earlier booked train tickets, Warawut said.

Pakapong Sirikantaramas, governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA), also has said the authority plans to reduce its train trips.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday warned that if Thais don't observe social distancing and follow the guidelines of the Government, he will order the shutdown of all public transport to contain Covid-19.

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday reported 120 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths, with the total number of confirmed cases in the country rising to 1,771 and death toll at 12. - Xinhua