Most people plan to stay home for New Year

A majority of people plan to stay home for the New Year, worried about Covid-19, but do still expect a more festive atmosphere than last year, according to an opinion survey by Bangkok University, or Bangkok Poll.

The poll was conducted by telephone interviews on Dec 17-21, with 1,117 respondents nationwide of mixed age groups and levels of education.

A majority, 55.2%, believed this year’s New Year activities would be held in a more festive mood than last year, while the others disagreed.

Asked if they planned to travel during the New Year holiday, 51.5% said they would rather stay home for fear of Covid-19, and 48.5% said they did.

Of those with travel plans, 23.5% would go to a temple for merit-making or overnight prayer on New Year’s Eve; 12.6% would visit their hometown to see relatives; 9.2% would travel to other provinces; 3.4% would go to a countdown event; and only 0.2% planned to travel abroad.

Asked what they thought could cause a Covid-19 outbreak during the New Year, with multiple answers allowed, 86.2% said New Year celebrations at bars and pubs; 72.1% carelessness on the part of businesses in not complying with disease prevention measures; 71.1% cited New Year countdown events at various venues; 70.3% said government failure to comply with measures recommended by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration; and, 66.4% pointed to parties and other celebration gatherings.