THE popular southern island of Phuket relaxed the coronavirus lockdown this morning (1.5.2020) allowing 5,000 people to return home via Tha Chat Chai checkpoint each day, PostToday reported.
Those eager to return home had driven to the checkpoint as early as 5 a.m. with permanent officials together with others drawn from various units methodically processing their papers.
A total of 40,000 people had registered in advance to return to their respective provinces.
Two rounds of departures are allowed each day, with 2,500 leaving in the morning and an equal number in the afternoon.
Phuket officials had informed various provinces in advance about who all are returning their provincial homes to make processing easier. Those who have left will not be allowed back in until Phuket announces that the situation has returned to normal.
Officials at the screening point were busy checking the papers of the travelers who drove in before dawn and issued colour stickers for passing through separate provincial routes.
The officials said the lockdown had been relaxed to allow people to return home and continue working.
PHOTO:
A long line of cars waiting to pass through Phuket’s Tha Chat Chai checkpoint at dawn today. Photo: PostToday
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