No… Eating loads of holy basil won’t protect you from Covid-19

As the Covid-19 pandemic hit economies all over the world with business closures and travel bans, issues with Thailand’s economy were exposed, according to Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow. The country cannot go back to the way it was before the global outbreak, he says.

Thailand’s large tourism industry was battered by the lack of foreign visitors. Small and medium businesses were also heavily impacted, prompting the government to spend more than 800 billion baht in aid measures, the deputy prime minister said at an event in Bangkok.

“It is unacceptable to let Thailand slide back to the period before Covid-19. Since the global economy is changing we must be more proactive in attracting foreign investors.”

Supattanapong says the government will focus on investing in new industries to cut down on the reliance on export and tourism, adding that Thailand’s automotive industry…