Thailand Property Award-winning developers pay it forward in the midst of the pandemic

Hearing the kingdom’s cry for help, these developers are offering their resources to everyone in need

Fearing that the region could be the next epicentre of the pandemic, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha joined the leaders of the ASEAN, plus its three close allies South Korea, Japan and China in a rare summit teleconference to create a more coordinated regional approach to deal with the outbreak. 

During the summit, Gen. Prayut proposed to set up the ASEAN Response Fund (ARF) as part of a six-point agenda to curb the virus, reported Bangkok Post. The said fund will be used for COVID-19 vaccine research, and for medicine and equipment for the medical frontliners. 

Other initiatives mentioned were the swift response to emergency cases, the reinforcement of public health measures, the action against false and distorted information and the introduction of relief measures to ease the disruption caused by the virus on the region’s economy. 

However, even before the summit, the local government has already introduced a series of initiatives to combat the virus, starting with financial relief for small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as for temporary and informal workers affected by the outbreak. 

Authorities have also banned all public gatherings, recommended adults aged over 70 and children aged under five to stay home, imposed a strict curfew, suspended international flights and assured the public that essential businesses will remain open during this time. 

Even though Thailand has seen a consistent decline in the number of cases, the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin advised people “not to lower your guard” as the confirmed cases will soon reach the 3,000 mark, with 2,792 patients under treatment. 

The real estate industry is among those hit hard by the pandemic, yet we have witnessed several PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards winners that have stepped up to help the nation curb the virus.

MQDC has partnered up with the Research & Innovation for Sustainability Center (RISC) and the Department of Health under the Ministry of Public Health to develop safety measures for condominiums, shops, malls and offices, particularly in high-risk locations. 

The guideline would include workshops on making fabric masks and alcohol-based hand gels; precautions on communications, ventilation, staff training, protective gear and controlled access; and special processes for services like waste disposal. 

The property development firm was a big contender at the 14th PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards, taking home 17 trophies before competing at the 14th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final a few months later where they nabbed the trophy for Best Housing Landscape Architectural Design (Asia). 

SENA Development, the recipient of two awards and three highly commended trophies at the 14th Thailand Property Awards, revealed that all their employees will be given coverage against the virus. They also promised that they will strive to keep everyone, but they will have to impose salary cuts.  

As for their residential projects, SENA will reduce common fees, offer financial assistance for households greatly affected, distribute alcohol and sanitation masks to the children and establish safety guidelines in case a member of the community gets the virus.

More: Coronavirus outbreak to further disrupt property investment sales in Thailand in 2020

To help flatten the curve, Minor Hotels, the Best Housing Development (Thailand) and Best Luxury Housing Development (Phuket) winner at the 14th Thailand Property Awards, announced that all their hotels around the globe will abide by specific regulations set by each country, keeping in mind the amount of risk associated with each location. 

The management has closed all their hotels in Bangkok and other provinces, as well as in Malaysia as ordered by the local governments. They have temporarily combined two hotels in Sri Lanka to reduce operating costs. For the time being, their hotels in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean will remain open. 

Retail development Central Pattana has teamed up with real estate firm AP (Thailand) to distribute 2,400 bottles of water for medical frontliners in six state-run hospitals as part of their Kindness Bag Programme.  

AP (Thailand) received the Special Recognition in CSR and the Best Digital Performance Condo Development (Bangkok) trophies, along with two highly commended awards in other categories at the 14th Thailand Property Awards.

Meanwhile, Central Pattana bagged two awards and one highly commended trophy at the 10th Thailand Property Awards. 

The winners of Thailand Property Awards showcase that even though their own business is directly affected by the outbreak, they are more than willing to take care of the kingdom as long as they have the means.