On 15th June 2009 several Pattaya political figures and officials joined the crowds in a concerted clean-up campaign to reduce the spread of Swine Flu and restore confidence in the city.
It was also the first day of the big clean up for Government offices, private companies, business buildings, shops, restaurants and bars throughout the city.
Mr. Sehnee Jitkasem, the Chonburi governor, Mr. Warut Jirasetsiri, the Chonburi public health doctor, Mr. Ittipol Kunpluem, Pattaya city mayor, and several other officials donned their boots and with brushes in hand performed synchronized scrubbing of Walking Street and the roads nearby. As an extra bonus to the PR operation, the Grammy Entertainment Company provided 2 of their recording artists to front the clean up.
Mr. Sehnee said that to prevent the influenza A (H1N1) virus from spreading any further, everyone had to co-operate and endeavour to keep their environment clean.
Government officials, for their part, will be keeping their eyes on schools, crowded locations and other environments where the virus could be spread more easily.
Chonburi government officials offered words of advice on how people can take proper care of themselves. They recommend that anyone who develops a fever or the symptoms of flu should stay home, get plenty of rest, drink a lot of water, eat good food and wear a face mask.
Meanwhile, Mr. Suphan Sithamma of the Public Health Ministry announced that a letter was to be sent to provincial health and hospital officials ordering them not to speak directly to the media or the public about the Swine Flu in their districts. All information concerning the number of cases and details about the patients must now be sent directly to the health authorities in Bangkok for further dissemination to the media and public, effectively imposing a gagging order.
The move is intended to prevent public anxiety over the spread of the virus which has now infected 201 persons in Thailand. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has urged everyone to remain calm, and to remember that the virus has a very low fatality rate.
