Struggling locals queue for free meals amid COVID-19 economic problems in Thailand

Struggling locals queue for free meals amid COVID-19 economic problems in Thailand

Hundreds of locals suffering from the COVID-19 economic slump queue for free food from a restaurant in Songkhla, southern Thailand this morning (April 16).

Residents who live hand-to-mouth earning money as taxi drivers or street sellers that need to go outside have been the hardest hit by lockdown measures.

Footage shows a 78-year-old elderly woman who nearly passed out from the heat while waiting for the food.

A local resident said her whole family have to go out at lunch and dinner to collect donations from restaurants that are helping to those in difficulty during the coronavirus pandemic.

She said: "My family is living in the slum and most of us in the neighbourhood now have no job and no money, so we have to go around the town to pick the free food for all three meals.

"We want the government to take some action to help us as there are still numerous people who have not received the aid money." Since recording began, Thailand has declared 2,672 coronavirus cases and 46 deaths.

The country has enforced strict measures to combat the pandemic including closing zoos and other businesses, banning passenger flights, imposing curfews, sweeping travel bans and alcohol prohibition.