Bangkok, Jun 8 (IANS): Thailand's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa said that several national parks will reopen next week, after more than two months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Ministry's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is currently assessing the situation at all parks, including marine parks, and will decide which ones can fully or partially reopen," Varawut was quoted as saying on Sunday by Xinhua news agency.

"It is not largely due to the spread of COVID-19, but the state of the park rather," said the Minister.

"for example marine parks in the Andaman Sea may not be suitable to open due to current storms making navigation unsafe. Also the mountainous Phu Kradueng National Park in the North-East, cannot be open to the public as a result of a large forest fire."

As in regards to parks that can reopen to the public, the Minister said that from now on, visitors will have to make advance bookings to limit the number of people under new anti-COVID-19 guidelines.

There are 127 national parks in Thailand, of them 22 marine national parks.

These parks offers a diverse range of flora and fauna, home to important population of endangered species.