Lessons learned and analysis of the management mechanisms for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization, the Nakhon Sawan Provincial Administrative Organization, and the Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Administrative Organization

Abstract

This article presents the research results that study the roles of Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization, Nakhonsawan Provincial Administrative Organization, and Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Administrative Organization in managing the outbreak situation of the coronavirus disease 2019 under the context of the declaration of a state of emergency under the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations, which is a special law enacted under the theory of legal exceptions. The study revealed the structure, system, mechanism, principles and management methods from the national level to the local level, with the provincial governor supervising the operations of all provincial organs. It also reveals several limitations found, both arising from the structure and system of government administration and related legal systems, such as limitations on duties and powers due to misinterpretation of the law by external organizations and some provincial administrative organizations themselves, problems with the limitations of subordinate laws, especially the regulations of the Ministry of Interior, which are obstacles to operations and budget use, the problem of using the theory of legal exceptions only at the national level but not at the local level, which results in a lack of mechanisms and methods for exempting processes, methods or procedures to enable provincial administrative organizations, municipalities and subdistrict administrative organizations to perform their duties efficiently and promptly, etc. This research provides policy recommendations on the establishment of systems and mechanisms, with the Provincial Administrative Organization playing an important role at the provincial level, for managing similar epidemic situations in the future, approaches to addressing the issue of using the theory of legal exceptions, etc., including the study of management innovations in this epidemic situation of some provincial administrative organizations that were studied.