Covid-19 News
Thailand Covid-19 news, vaccine updates, travel restrictions, and government policies—stay informed on case numbers, safety measures, and global developments. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for Covid-19 updates in Thailand.
-
Sponsored New in July: Save 10% for life on family health plans in Thailand
Cigna has a special offer this July for families in Thailand. When you sign up three or more people on a family health plan, you will save 10% on your premiums for life. This deal helps you get affordable, high-quality...
-
Pattaya irons out the wrinkles at checkpoints
After some major traffic nightmares during the initial implementation of restricted movement in Pattaya, the wrinkles have been ironed out and the lockdown is now flowing smoothly. Thanks in part to cooperation from the public, together with improved routing management during permissible driving hours, the lockdown has helped reduce the spread of Covid 19 in the Chonburi province as the…
-
28 new Covid-19 cases (Friday), one more death, as recovery rate reaches 62%
Health officials confirmed 28 more Covid-19 cases at this morning’s daily press briefing, down from 29 yesterday, bringing the national total to 2,700. An additional death brings that tally to 47. 96 more patients have recovered and been sent home, bringing the total of recoveries to 1689, or 62.5% since the outbreak began in January. There were 30 new cases…
-
Phuket reports 1 new Covid-19 case (Friday)
Health officials in Phuket today reported 1 new Covid-19 case, up from yesterday’s zero cases. But still a first since the initial 5 cases were reported on March 20 after weeks of denials. This continues an encouraging downward trend: 3 cases were reported Wednesday, down from Tuesday’s 10 which was the first time new cases reached double digits since April…
-
Thai airlines have their hands out for an extra 8.8 billion baht
The Cabinet approved loans totalling 16 billion bath on March 26 for 7 Thai airlines who had endured a negative impact, or a complete collapse, from the Covid-19 pandemic. Yesterday reports out of the aviation industry say that the number of airlines looking for government aid for low-interest loans is now up to 24.15 billion baht. A total of 8…
-
Lifting of restrictions depends on compliance
“Decisions about any relaxation are difficult. There may first have to be a level of ongoing social distancing that people must observe.” The current national state of emergency is due to expire at the end of the month, and PM Prayut Chan-o-Cha has hinted some restrictions might be relaxed at that time, even if he extends the emergency decree. But…
-
‘Smart helmets’ for Chinese epidemic prevention officers
As China shows signs of recovering from its initial Coronavirus outbreak, epidemic prevention and control officers (yeah that’s a thing now) have been equipped with futuristic “smart helmets” that can detect potential patients without officers needing to get too close. It’s a new AI approach to tracking and prevention. The smart helmet is a product developed by Kuang-chi whose company…
-
Migrant workers in Thailand can now stay until November 30
Yesterday the Thai government officially announced a blanket extension for the country’s migrant labourers. They will now be permitted to stay until November 30 this year and will be exempted from any sort of overstay penalty. Government Spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat says that the government has backed the Ministry of Labour’s review of the Cabinet resolution on March 24 on the…
-
Ports Authority of Thailand will offer discounts
“Not only has the number of containers handled by the port decreased, but many trips have also been cancelled,” says director-general, Kamolsak Promprayoon, The Port Authority of Thailand. The PAT board of executives has also agreed to provide assistance to carriers and shipping agents as Covid-19 has taken a heavy toll on the global sea transportation business. They are offering……
-
Ex-military doctors recalled by the Royal Thai Air Force
Even though Thailand’s government has managed to decrease the number of daily infections, authorities still have a huge workload of looking out for patients and processing new arrivals at state quarantine facilities. So 50 ex-military doctors have been recalled by the Royal Thai Air Force in an “essential mission” of battling Thailand’s Covid-19 outbreak. Air force chief Air Chief Marshal Maanat Wongwat…
-
2.7 billion in “cash gifts” for officials working to fight Covid-19
Government Spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul announced the Thai Cabinet has approved “cash gifts” for government officials working to fighting the Covid 19 outbreak. “The move to disburse cash gifts from the 2.7 billion baht budget was proposed by the Office of the Civil Service Commission.” Those who work in fields directly affected by the outbreak – doctors, nurses and other essential…
-
Can air-con spread Covid-19?
A research letter published by Guangzhou Centres for Disease Control in China looked at 10 coronavirus cases of 3 families who ate in adjacent tables at the same time. The study proposes that droplet transmission by the restaurant’s air conditioning system was increased. The initial patient arrived from Wuhan and dined at the restaurant with 3 family members. Two other…
-
Thailand’s Muslim leader issues special instructions for Ramadan 2020
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan will last from From April 24 or 25 to May 23 or 24 (depending on the lunar cycle) this year, during which time the faithful will practice fasting and take part in religious activities at mosques, residences and other designated areas. The spiritual leader of Thailand’s Muslims, the Sheikhul lslam, has issued an announcement…
-
When will Thailand’s booze bans end?
Though there has been no national ban on alcohol sales, all 77 of Thailand’s provincial governors have banned booze in their efforts to slow the spread of Covid-19. Many people have now long run down their pre-ban panic-buying stash. There have also been reports of alcohol dependent residents coming to the surface seeking medical help. Bangkok and Chiang Mai both began…
-
Thailand Post delivers 28 million hygienic masks nationwide
Thailand Post has successfully delivered nearly 28 million hygienic masks to the Interior and Public Health ministries over the past month. Nearly 16.8 million were sent to the Ministry of Public Health to be redistributed to provincial public health departments and 99 hospitals nationwide, while another 11 million masks were delivered to the Ministry of Interior to be distributed to 77 cities…
-
Phuket reports no new Covid-19 cases (Thursday)
Health officials in Phuket today reported no new Covid-19 cases, a first since the first cases were reported on March 20 after weeks of denials. This continues an encouraging downward trend: 3 cases were reported yesterday, down from Tuesday’s 10 which was the first time new cases reached double digits since 10 were reported on April 5. 13 cases were reported…
-
Travel and tourism in the Land of Smiles – 12 predictions
OPINION by Andrew Wood Casting our eyes into the crystal ball has never been so difficult with so many varied issues clouding the post-coronavirus future. For Thailand, the future of world and domestic travel has never been so critical as tourism drives much of the Thai economy. Will the tourists come back? Will they be allowed back? When? And under what…
-
NBTC seeks to reduce mobile bills by 30%
Hopefully for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has been meeting with Thailand’s telecom operators in an effort to lower mobile phone service fees for users. The NBTC say the fee reduction proposal is for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers and seeks to reduce fees up to 30%. The initiative is aimed at helping people manage…
-
PM says restrictions could be eased by April 30
The current national state of emergency is due to expire on April 30. While PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has hinted he might extend it, which he has the constitutional right to do (up to 90 days), he says that he’ll evaluate the Covid-19 situation in the last week of April to see if some restrictions can be lifted. The PM has…
-
Government only has enough to pay 5,000 baht aid package for 1 month – PM
Shortly after the national state of emergency was declared in Thailand, the government of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced an aid package of 5,000 baht per month to “informal workers” left behind by the Covid-19 crisis. The original announcement, part of a 117 billion baht stimulus package, was for 3 months, but this was later extended to 6 months, despite the…
-
Canadian students create hotline to cheer up quarantined elderly
Quarantine might not be so terrible for Gen X, Y, or Millennials with subscription services such as Netflix, HBO Go, Amazon Prime and other streaming services, plus fads like TikToc, et al to keep them busy. But for the elderly, isolation can be quite lonely. Canadian High school students wanted to change that by creating a hotline that plays pre…
-
Grocery trucks make a comeback during Covid-19 crisis
Once a familiar site in neighbourhoods throughout the country, Thai grocery trucks are making a comeback. The trucks, essentially makeshift mobile shops, are once again bringing everything from mangoes and dried chillies to fresh meat to people forced indoors by the national state of emergency declared to fight the spread of Covid-19. Such trucks were a staple of Thai life…
-
Phuket’s Covid-19 new cases fall to 3
Health officials in Phuket today reported just 3 new Covid-19 cases, substantially fewer than yesterday’s 10 and the continuation of a generally encouraging downward trend. Yesterday was the first time new cases reached double digits since 10 were reported on April 5. 13 cases were reported on April 3. All yesterday’s cases were from the Bang Tao beach community. Travel…
-
Stranded Thai fisherman decides to swim back from Malaysia
By March 23, Satun province had closed it’s border checkpoints with Malaysia to try to lessen the Covid-19 infections. But police have reported yesterday that a Thai fisherman was stranded in Malaysia after trying to swim across the border trying to return to his home. Police have reported finding a fisherman ,45 year old Ratanapol Pan-un, a Satun province native…
-
Thailand’s flight arrival ban extended to April 30
Thailand’s nationwide ban on inbound flights was yesterday extended to at leastApril 30 by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, to help control the spread of Covid-19. CAAT’s director-general announced the extension on the agency’s webpage this morning. It is the third extension of the ban, which was first imposed back on April 3. He cited the need to maintain…
-
Computer says no. Finance ministry refuses two-thirds of stimulus applicants.
Only 9 million Thais have been considered eligible in the latest package rolled out by the Finance Ministry. About 27 million registered for the emergency aid program to provide 5,000 baht per month for at least three month. Now the two-thirds who were initially refused the package after initial computer screening are asking why and fronting up to the Finance Ministry…
-
The road back to ‘normal’ – when can we get back to work?
OPINION At one stage we didn’t know a new coronavirus was about to emerge. Then we started hearing stories out of China about a mysterious pneumonia-like disease in the first week of 2020. Then we started seeing a surge of cases, outside China, and wondered if it would affect us and the way we live. Then it did. Now we’re…
-
AoT, already struggling, deny investing in faltering Thai Airways
“We’ve got enough problems of our own.” Airports of Thailand is denying claims that it is interested in acquiring a stake in the financially floundering flag carrier Thai Airways, saying that they too are struggling with the sharp drop in revenue after airlines and airport shutdowns related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Thai Airways, once considered one of Asia’s most luxurious…
-
Mass-testing vs contact tracing in Thailand
Yesterday, the Thai government announced that contact tracing (identification of high risk personnel) is the most valid and effective method for battling the Covid-19 outbreak around the country. The spokesperson, and now familiar frontman, of the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin has also revealed that “this is partly because Thailand has limited resources and can not afford…
-
Phuket Covid-19 cases jump to 10, all in Bang Tao
Health officials in Phuket today reported 10 new Covid-19 cases, the first time the number has risen back into the double digits since 10 cases were reported on April 5. 13 cases were reported on April 3. Specifically all the new cases stem from the beachside community of Bang Tao. Phuket has virtually sealed itself off, with all roads, ports, and…
-
A mushroom cloud hangs over Pattaya
There is perhaps no better motivator for children than peer pressure and the threat of public humiliation. Yesterday in Pattaya, many local schoolboys woke up to their quiet Songkran, unable to play in the traditional festivities, sporting their new home-made hairstyle meant to shame them into self isolation called the “Mushoom Cloud.” Pattaya hairdresser Prasit Laokodee masterminded the idea to…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.