Toxic air: Thailand considers work from home nationwide

[webfact]

Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

by Puntid Tantivangphaisal

The Ministry of Public Health is set to recommend a nationwide work from home directive next week after PM2.5 ultrafine dust pollution surpassed safe thresholds in nearly every province yesterday, January 21, with Greater Bangkok experiencing the highest levels.

 

Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin announced that a meeting would be held today to formulate strategies to address the escalating pollution crisis. Among the proposed measures is a nationwide work from home policy, which will be presented during the upcoming Cabinet meeting.

Somsak expressed confidence that if government bodies adopt this policy, the private sector will follow. He referenced a University of Chicago study indicating that prolonged exposure to PM2.5 levels above 37.5 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³) could reduce life expectancy by approximately one year.

 

With PM2.5 levels anticipated to remain elevated, the minister advised the public to wear N95 masks for optimal protection.

Data from the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) yesterday revealed dangerously high PM2.5 levels throughout Bangkok, with Nong Khaem district recording the highest at 146.5µg/m³.

In response to the persistent unsafe levels in the capital, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has implemented three key measures. The first is encouraging remote work, initially advised for the first two days of the week, with a potential extension to Friday if pollution levels remain high. The BMA reported that around 200 companies and 100,000 employees adopted work from home arrangements last year, reducing traffic by 8%.

 

The second measure involves establishing low-emission zones (LEZs). Trucks with six or more wheels are prohibited from the Ratchadaphisek area when red PM2.5 levels are recorded and expected to persist for at least two consecutive days. Exceptions are made for electric vehicles, natural gas vehicles, and those on the Green List.

The final measure is the temporary closure of BMA schools, with four schools having shifted to online classes.

The Pollution Control Department has cautioned that poor air quality is likely to continue nationwide until Friday due to stagnant air and agricultural burning. Recent reports indicated unsafe PM2.5 levels in 70 of 77 provinces, with Greater Bangkok being the most affected. Samut Sakhon recorded the highest level at 144.8µg/m³.

 

Only seven provinces—Phang Nga, Surat Thani, Chumphon, Krabi, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, and Mae Hong Son—reported dust levels below the government’s safe threshold of 37.5µg/m³, reported Bangkok Post.

 

Source: The Thaiger 

-- 2025-01-22

 

 

[MikeandDow]

And the plan is !!   "to do nothing"

[KireB]

Does anyone care for the tourists?

[Ralf001]

Hell yeah... work from home sounds sweet.

[tomazbodner]

  On 1/22/2025 at 2:49 AM, webfact said:

poor air quality is likely to continue nationwide until Friday due to stagnant air and agricultural burning.

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Can't do much about the first one but don't tell me nothing can be done about the second one?!

[hotchilli]

  On 1/22/2025 at 2:49 AM, webfact said:

The Ministry of Public Health is set to recommend a nationwide work from home directive next week after PM2.5 ultrafine dust pollution surpassed safe thresholds in nearly every province yesterday, January 21, with Greater Bangkok experiencing the highest levels.

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And what do the people who work outside or tourists do ?

[hotchilli]

  On 1/22/2025 at 2:49 AM, webfact said:

Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin announced that a meeting would be held today to formulate strategies to address the escalating pollution crisis. Among the proposed measures is a nationwide work from home policy, which will be presented during the upcoming Cabinet meeting.

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That's the best the health minister can come up with... wonder what his salary s?

[Hanuman2547]

That might work well for a few industries, but a lot of people can't really work from home.

[lordgrinz]

So technically the Health Minister is an incompetent and useless political hack, makes sense, I guess. 

[MikeandDow]

"Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin announced that a meeting would be held today to formulate strategies to address the escalating pollution crisis"  well what was the results of Last years meeting !! and the year before that, and the year before that,  Thailand the hub of meetings, with NO Action !!

[Mr Meeseeks]

Toxic Thailand. 

[Hanuman2547]

  On 1/22/2025 at 5:38 AM, MikeandDow said:

"Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin announced that a meeting would be held today to formulate strategies to address the escalating pollution crisis"  well what was the results of Last years meeting !! and the year before that, and the year before that,  Thailand the hub of meetings, with NO Action !!

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Maybe during this meeting they will form a committee to look further into this problem and formulate some solutions?

[MikeandDow]

  On 1/22/2025 at 5:43 AM, Hanuman2547 said:

Maybe during this meeting they will form a committee to look further into this problem and formulate some solutions?

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That is a Standard results for Thai meetings

[lordgrinz]

  On 1/22/2025 at 5:43 AM, Hanuman2547 said:

Maybe during this meeting they will form a committee to look further into this problem and formulate some solutions?

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The committee will also hold their meetings in some 5-Star vacation retreat as well, I mean that's the ultimate goal, to spend money on themselves until everyone forgets what they were supposed to be doing.

[Burma Bill]

  On 1/22/2025 at 2:49 AM, webfact said:

set to recommend a nationwide work from home directive

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Thai "working" from home-

 

[fondue zoo]

Year after year, they pretend to be surprised wuhhhhh, hand wringing, face holding. All the while they know exactly what needs doing but will not, ever.

Are they out and about today, greeting the masses, breathing in all that Thainess/cancer?   "but but we adjusted our do nothing carbon policy, problem solved, also, it's everyone else fault, cooking your smoky dishes all the time."

 

you do you Thailand.

[black tabby12345]

More Thais work from home?

Food Delivery Service community get busier.

[brfsa2]

I've been observing PM2.5 today to be around 250-390 on the main roads for the whole morning while driving our BYD to the gym. the kids didnt even go to school today. I even see it go up to 800 when behind the buses.

[rudi49jr]

  On 1/22/2025 at 5:23 AM, hotchilli said:

That's the best the health minister can come up with... wonder what his salary s?

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His salary is just a fraction of his income….

[brewsterbudgen]

Amazing Thailand.  Pollution in workplaces and schools, but all OK at home!  Didn't they learn from Covid?

[Justanotherone]

what is the root cause

 

politicians are like doctors... if you get my drift

[MikeandDow]

  On 1/22/2025 at 8:01 AM, Justanotherone said:

what is the root cause

 

politicians are like doctors... if you get my drift

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The "Root cause" is the inadequacies of this goverment to do anything !!

[Caldera]

Leaving aside that many people cannot even work from home... will they buy air purifiers for the homes of all those who can and will?

 

The air in most people's homes must be pretty bad, too!

[rudi49jr]

The standard reaction of any Thai government official, when faced with a problem, is to do nothing. That’s either because a) there’s no money in it for them, or b) to avoid making waves and causing embarrassment and/or loss of face. 
When they do take action, it’s usually only because they see an opportunity to make some extra money.

[blaze master]

We can't even keep the most basic  necessity of life clean. What a joke our species is.

 

And I'm supposed to take all the climate change talk seriously. Ha good one. Now where do I top up my carbon credits. 

 

[John Drake]

  On 1/22/2025 at 5:22 AM, hotchilli said:

And what do the people who work outside or tourists do ?

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Indian and Chinese tourists will be used to it. Truly so. Several years ago I taught a graduate class of PRC students and told them to be careful because of the toxic air. They didn't find anything worth worrying about. 

[Hanuman2547]

  On 1/22/2025 at 5:55 AM, lordgrinz said:

The committee will also hold their meetings in some 5-Star vacation retreat as well, I mean that's the ultimate goal, to spend money on themselves until everyone forgets what they were supposed to be doing.

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Yes, this is the "most" correct answer and how things will most likely turn out.

[brewsterbudgen]

  On 1/22/2025 at 5:22 AM, hotchilli said:

And what do the people who work outside or tourists do ?

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Wear a N95 mask.

[watchcat]

  On 1/22/2025 at 3:49 AM, KireB said:

Does anyone care for the tourists?

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As they're already here, not even TAT could care less, it's all about arrivals.

[watchcat]

  On 1/23/2025 at 1:02 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

Wear a N95 mask.

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Where does one buy them except import them from China?