With hope and commitment to help Thai people resume normal lives as soon as possible, and to contain the spread of COVID-19, Central Group has stood by Thai people amidst the crisis and served as a connecting point to facilitate assistance for all sectors with effectiveness, speed and wide coverage. The Group has united forces among its affiliates as well as its partners to provide support and assistance to public health organizations to help Thai people lead normal lives amidst the spread of COVID-19 while keeping their guard up.
Pichai Chirathivat, Managing Director of Central Group, said that the COVID-19 situation is expected to continue and affect Thai people for a while, and the important thing is to make sure Thai people are vaccinated as soon as possible, as mass vaccination is key to building herd immunity and allowing our country to move forward. Central Group recognizes the importance of supporting public health efforts in every aspect, by providing venues and tools to facilitate vaccination, implementing maximum health and hygiene protocols, supporting medical professionals, and supporting Thailand’s research on COVID-19 vaccines and medicine. The Group has worked with partners in its network to offer assistance in four aspects.
1. Working with government organizations such as Thai Chamber of Commerce, BMA, Provincial Public Health, and Social Security Office to set up non-hospital vaccination sites nationwide.
- Pioneering a model for non-hospital vaccination sites with 33 sites, 24 at Central nationwide, six at Robinson Lifestyle, one at Tops Plaza, one at Platform Wongwianyai, and one at Jewelry Trade Center.
- 150 days of continuous services from April to August 2021, and still ongoing.
- Over 1.1 million doses administered on Thai people.
2. Central Clean & Safe measures
- Leading the Clean & Safe measures for shopping centers nationwide using the Ministry of Public Health’s D-M-H-T-T-A guidelines to stop the spread of COVID-19. D: Distancing to avoid direct contact with others, M: Mask wearing to ensure surgical or cloth masks are worn at all times, H: Hand washing frequently with widely available hand sanitization points, T: Temperature checking before entry to identify those who may have symptoms, T: Testing to detect COVID-19, and A: Application for checking in and out with Thai Chana and Mor Chana in every visit.
- Supporting and encouraging everyone to get vaccinated. Today, over 85% of Central Group employees nationwide have been vaccinated.
3. Supporting frontliners’ operations
- Providing 8,856 rooms under Centara Hotels to medical workers.
- Delivering over 16,000 meals to home isolation patients under Meal for You campaign, in collaboration with King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the Thai Red cross Society, Ramathibodi Hospital and Taksin Hospital.
- Providing medical supplies and other supplies worth 12.9 million baht such as 3,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine, four negative pressure units, three ventilators, and 25,000 tablets of Favipiravir.
- Participating in donation to sponsor for the construction of COVID-19 outdoor emergency ward and the procurement of medical equipment.
4. Raising funds and offering donations to support Covid-19 Vaccine for Thais
- Raising funds and offering donations to support research on vaccines and medicine to ensure Thai people can have access to COVID-19 vaccines, with a total fund of 15.8 million baht.
Central Group would like to play a role in supporting every sector, particularly medical professionals, who are on the frontline fighting this pandemic. We are ready to unite all forces within our group to offer support to Thai people, keeping them safe helping them access healthcare services, easing the burdens of those affected, and standing by them throughout this pandemic with strength and resilience.
