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.

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    How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?

    Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....

  • Minister: Don’t worry about energy supply while working from home

    Minister: Don’t worry about energy supply while working from home

    Energy Minister Sonthirat Sonthijirawong reassured the public on Saturday that even though many are now working from home to promote social distancing and stem the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, his ministry will ensure an adequate electricity supply. “I have ordered all related agencies, especially the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, to monitor power usage closely and evaluate the situation…

  • Coronavirus infections rise among Thai health workers

    Coronavirus infections rise among Thai health workers

    Infections of the Covid-19 coronavirus among doctors, nurses and other staff on the front-line of the battle against the disease are causing concerns. Yesterday the Thai Health Department announced 143 new infections bringing the total in Thailand to 1,388 since the outbreak began in January. The number of newly infected health department personnel was 8. Doctors, nurses and other staff…

  • Wear a mask and avoid crowds – Phuket Governor

    Wear a mask and avoid crowds – Phuket Governor

    A announcement from the Phuket Governor is asking people, now almost marooned on the island since midnight last night, to take extra precautions to slow the spread of the Covid-10 coronavirus around Phuket. Probably the main message to take from this new announcement is that you are expected to wear a face mask any time you are in public spaces…

  • Coronavirus rumour prompts prison riot, some prisoners escape

    Coronavirus rumour prompts prison riot, some prisoners escape

    Rumours of a Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak in a prison in the lower northeastern province of Buri Ram sparked a riot. The riot erupted at the central prison after about 100 determined prisoners broke furniture and smashed windows and set a fire over rumours of a Covid-19 outbreak in the prison yesterday. A number of prisoners escaped but 7 have been…

  • Gambling wife arrested after husband calls police in Nakhon Ratchasima

    Gambling wife arrested after husband calls police in Nakhon Ratchasima

    Thailand’s recently declared state of emergency has meant the temporary closure of many businesses, leaving a lot of people with a lot of time on their hands. One woman in the northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province grew bored and decided to invite some friends around for a bit of light home gambling playing cards. But her husband was afraid she might…

  • Nearly 300 Thais stranded at the southern border, paperwork issues

    Nearly 300 Thais stranded at the southern border, paperwork issues

    Around 300 Thais trying to return to Thailand are stranded at the Wang Kelian immigration checkpoint in northern Malaysia’s Perlis State. On the other side is Thailand’s Wang Prachan checkpoint in Satun’s Khuan Don district. They’ve been denied entry after failing to comply with the strict new regulations set by the Thai authorities. Thailand and Malaysia have closed their checkpoints…

  • Beaches in Phuket closed until further notice

    Beaches in Phuket closed until further notice

    The world famous beaches of the southern resort island of Phuket are now closed indefinitely in another effort by provincial officials to fight the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Governor Phakkhaphong Thawiphat, who is also heading up the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee, made the announcement yesterday. The closures extend to zoos and all venues offering animal shows for tourists. Bangla…

  • Thailand confirms 143 new coronavirus cases, 1 more death

    Thailand confirms 143 new coronavirus cases, 1 more death

    Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and its Department of Disease control announced 143 new confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus at their daily press briefing today in Bangkok (March 29), up from yesterday’s 109 new cases. There has been 1 additional death, bringing the national Covid-19 toll to 7. The latest figures brought the total cases to 1,388 across 57…

  • Handful of Thais catch last flight back to Thailand from Singapore

    Handful of Thais catch last flight back to Thailand from Singapore

    Flights are thin on the ground now and very few regional carriers are still in the air. Singapore Airlines Flight 972 was the last scheduled service to Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Passengers, only a few dozen, mostly Thais fleeing back home to ride out the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, flew out of Singapore’s Changi Airport yesterday. Airlines worldwide are cutting flights and grounding…

  • Drug party raided in Chiang Rai for defying public gathering ban

    Drug party raided in Chiang Rai for defying public gathering ban

    Authorities are cracking down and enforcing the ban on on public gatherings under the the state of emergency declared to fight the Covid-19 coronavirus epidemic last week. 22 people were arrested at a drug party in Chiang Rai yesterday for “gathering in defiance of the Emergency Decree”. 10 men and 12 women between the ages of 20 and 30 were nabbed…

  • Power to the people – Energy Ministry promises adequate supply of electricity

    Power to the people – Energy Ministry promises adequate supply of electricity

    Thailand’s Energy Ministry says that there will be adequate electricity supply to fuel the demands of people staying and working from home. Millions are cooped up in their homes, raising the domestic electricity supply usage. But many businesses have closed up, easing up some of the demands on total supply. Energy Minister Sonthirat Sonthijirawong says there should be enough power…

  • Nearly 20 million try to register, crashing Thai government’s payout website

    Nearly 20 million try to register, crashing Thai government’s payout website

    Four major Thai banks closed their branches this weekend, partly in anticipation of a surge of applicants for the governments recently announce 5000 baht handout scheme for “informal” workers affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. According to Krungthai Bank, nearly 20 million people tried to log in and register on the government’s payout website, which opened last night, significantly higher…

  • Thailand’s Covid-19 snippets (Sunday)

    Thailand’s Covid-19 snippets (Sunday)

    • The last service out of Singapore’s Changi Airport to Bangkok left yesterday with just over 20 passengers – mostly Thai citizens trying to get home. After Thailand’s emergency decree was announced on Thursday, it banned all but its own citizens from flying into the country with strict, almost impossible, requirements of special papers, called ‘fit to fly’ documents. Almost all passengers…

  • Things to know about the Covid-19 Coronavirus

    Things to know about the Covid-19 Coronavirus

    Coronavirus has spread to 176 countries or territories around the world and claimed more than 31,000 lives, as of Sunday, March 29. More than 665,000 people around the world have now been infected, including more than 141,000 who have fully recovered at this stage. The US has recorded nearly 20,000 new cases in the last 24 hours plus 515 new…

  • Thailand’s airlines line up for 16 billion baht lifeline

    Thailand’s airlines line up for 16 billion baht lifeline

    Thai airlines are mostly grounded, basically due to lack of traffic from government restrictions to stop people from travelling. But they still have staff and regulations that require them to be paid. So 7 Thai airlines are seeking a 16 billion baht lifeline from the Thai Finance Ministry so they can keep employees whist their planes remain on the ground.…

  • 109 new coronavirus cases for Thailand (Saturday)

    109 new coronavirus cases for Thailand (Saturday)

    The Thai Public Health Ministry has reported 109 new coronavirus cases and 2 new death today. This brings the total to 1,245 cases and 6 deaths in the Kingdom. The latest figures brought the total cases to 1,245 across 57 provinces – 1,032 of the patients are Thais. Bangkok has a total of 515 cases, followed by Nonthaburi with 58…

  • 6 new cases in Phuket, most of them from Patong

    6 new cases in Phuket, most of them from Patong

    The Phuket Communicable Disease Committee announced 6 new Covid-19 cases in Phuket today, bringing the total number of official cases to 47. 4 of the 6 new cases were from Patong, the other 2 from Kata and Karon.8 out of 18 new cases on the island since last Thursday had been visiting or working around Bangla Road. “879 people have been…

  • Department of Disease Control says social distancing is a must to slow spread of virus

    Department of Disease Control says social distancing is a must to slow spread of virus

    A leading expert on communicable diseases at the Ministry of Public Health is warning of a massive increase in Covid-19 coronavirus infections unless social distancing guidelines are followed, saying cases could skyrocket to 25,000 by mid-April. Anupong Sujariyakul of the ministry’s Department of Control says that social distancing is crucial to reducing the contagion. Anupol calculates that, if 80% cent…

  • Four major banks close branches for the weekend to prevent crowds

    Four major banks close branches for the weekend to prevent crowds

    Four of Thailand’s biggest commercial banks are closing all branches over the weekend to promote social distancing and fight the spread of the Covid-19. Kasikornbank, Siam Commercial Bank, Krungthai Bank and TMB-Thanachart Bank announced yesterday that they would close all branches nationwide today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday). Electronic services will remain available. Krungthai Bank’s announcement said the decision was…

  • Hundreds of Thai hotels seek aid to protect employees

    Hundreds of Thai hotels seek aid to protect employees

    Will the Thai Social Security Office compensate hundreds of hotels pursuing emergency assistance? Hotels are doing it hard as tourism has come to a virtual halt inside Thailand and hotels are either closing or scaling back their operations substantially. Yesterday, The Thai Hotel Associations sent a letter to the Thai Chamber of Commerce notifying them that hundreds of hotels are…

  • Phuket closes Cape Promthep, other beaches and parks

    Phuket closes Cape Promthep, other beaches and parks

    Add another to the growing list of sites, venues and attractions being shuttered by the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak in Thailand, Phuket’s popular tourist magnet, Cape Promthep, a lookout point famous for its sunsets, has been closed to visitors. Officials on Thailand’s most popular resort island declared the attraction off limits as virus numbers start to increase around the nation. The…

  • Thai PM suspends military conscription for 3 months

    Thai PM suspends military conscription for 3 months

    Thailand’s mandatory annual military conscription has been put on hold due to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. The Ministry of Defence, under an order from PM and Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, has postponed this year’s round of the draft, which was scheduled for April 1 to 12, for up to 3 months. Conscription in Thailand is traditionally done by drawing lots…

  • Chinese tourists arrested for breaking quarantine rules in Phuket

    Chinese tourists arrested for breaking quarantine rules in Phuket

    Four Chinese citizens have been arrested, after having their temperatures checked, in the Saku area, Phuket, after “defying coronavirus quarantine rules”. They spent Thursday night at Saku police station for leaving their rented accommodation without notifying authorities of their move from their previously registered address. Two of them were found at a house in Phuket Town, the other two had headed to…

  • US Covid-19 cases exceed 100,000 people, South Korea leads the world with testing

    US Covid-19 cases exceed 100,000 people, South Korea leads the world with testing

    The US has kicked the number of cases of Covid-19 coronavirus over 100,000 people. As testing continues to expand rapidly, the US is seeing daily spikes of 10,000+ in recent days (18,294 in the past 24 hours). On March 20 there were 19,000 active cases recorded for the US. The numbers are expected to continue to rise steadily in the coming…

  • Bangkok City Hall closes more venues, but 3 types allowed to reopen

    Bangkok City Hall closes more venues, but 3 types allowed to reopen

    Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA or City Hall as it’s more commonly known), is closing down more public venues around the capital, effective midnight tonight (Friday) until April 30, as it steps up measures to curb the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Sites to remain closed are all sport arenas of both humans and animals (boxing arenas, cockfighting and fish fighting…

  • More than 100 suspect travellers reported across the country

    More than 100 suspect travellers reported across the country

    Yesterday, police staffed 359 random checks points across the country to screen road travellers for the Covid-19 virus. The checkpoints are being staffed by the Royal Thai Police. Deputy Commissioner General Police General Suwat Jangyodsuk, says… “Travellers who had a cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing or any body pain were scanned and more than 100 have now been reported to…

  • Army officers sidelined over illegal boxing match that caused ‘Covid-19’ cluster

    Army officers sidelined over illegal boxing match that caused ‘Covid-19’ cluster

    The head of the army’s welfare department has been “transferred to an inactive post” along with other army brass, as an inquiry begins into a now-notorious boxing event on March 6 at the Lumphini Boxing Stadium that’s has led to scores of Covid coronavirus infections. The Royal Thai Army announced today that that Major General Rachit Arunrangsri, who was in…

  • Singaporeans face jail, fines if they don’t observe social distancing

    Singaporeans face jail, fines if they don’t observe social distancing

    Singapore authorities have announced tough new measures to combat the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, saying that those found guilty of intentionally standing or sitting too near to others could be jailed for up to six months. The city-state has already closed bars and cinemas, as well as banning large events. While Singapore isn’t under lockdown or a state of…

  • China closes its borders, only allowing Chinese nationals, diplomats and C visas to enter

    China closes its borders, only allowing Chinese nationals, diplomats and C visas to enter

    How the tables can turn within a month or so. Due to the rapid global spread of the Covid-19 virus, China’s Foreign Ministry has announced that they will temporarily suspend all entries into China. This will also include foreign nationals holding valid visas or residence permits in China. Doors closed, but with a few minor exceptions. “The suspension will be starting…

  • UPDATE: 91 new coronavirus cases, 1 more death in Thailand (Friday March 27)

    UPDATE: 91 new coronavirus cases, 1 more death in Thailand (Friday March 27)

    Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and Department of Disease Control and confirmed a 91 new cases of the the Covid19 coronavirus at their daily press briefing this morning (March 27). There was also an additional death reported. The new numbers bring the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 1136 and deaths to 5. Two Thais have also…