Thai shopping mall uses traffic lights on escalators to enforce Covid-19 social distancing

A shopping mall is us a traffic light system so visitors follow social distancing rules while using escalators.

The bizarre innovation is being used at Central Word outlets around Bangkok, Thailand, to try and prevent a second wave of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic.

Businesses have been allowed to re-open and there have been no new local transmissions of the virus for 43 days, as of July 8.

However, residents must follow strict social distancing measures, wear masks and sanitise their hands when visiting public places.

The traffic light system flashes red when a shopper passes through.

The halt light ensures that the person behind them does not cram onto the escalator and instead maintains a safe distance.

Thailand had the first case of Covid-19 outside of the epicentre, China, but has been praised for preventing the deadly bug from gaining momentum in the country.

Ministers have still banned tourists - one of the main sources of GDP - from entering the country but are hoping to introduce 'travel bubbles' or 'air bridges' with specific countries deemed safe.

The Bank of Thailand predicts that its gross domestic product will shrink by more than 8 per cent this year.

Kiatipong Ariyapruchya, a senior economist for Thailand at the World Bank, says much of it can be attributed to the plunge in international tourism since the country shut its borders in the early weeks of the Covid crisis.