BANGKOK (THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, REUTERS) - A shopping mall in Thailand's capital Bangkok has received praise from netizens for employing a series of measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including installing foot-operated control panels in its lifts.

The measures taken by Seacon Square shopping mall on Bangkok's Srinakarin Road have been widely shared online.

The foot-operated control panels in the lifts at the mall allow users to select the floor and close/open the door by pressing the pedals so as to avoid touching anything, much unlike traditional elevators.

The other measures the mall has employed include installing hand gel dispensers in front of lifts and escalators, painting guidelines on the floor in possible crowded areas to force customers to maintain a safe distance between each other, and having thermo-scanning checkpoints as required by the Public Health Ministry.

Seacon Square stated on its Facebook page that it hoped the measures would become the new normal for shopping malls nationwide as they can prevent not only the spread of Covid-19 but also other kinds of germs, while promoting better hygiene and safety among the public.

Queues formed at Thailand malls after they were allowed to reopen last Sunday for the first time since March following the government's loosening of its coronavirus lockdown restrictions as part of a second phase of measures.

Thailand has reported more than 3,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus since January, with more than 50 deaths.