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.
-
US and China compete to control the narrative on the origins of Covid-19
With the two year trade war between the economic super-powers still being sorted out, the Chinese and US governments have entered into a tit-for-tat exchange of blame for the origins of the Covid-19 virus this week. Conspiracy theories have been fired back and forth between officials in the two countries. Washington has described the coronavirus outbreak as the “Wuhan Virus”.…
-
Manila goes on lockdown
“It’s a lockdown It’s just a matter of protecting and defending you from Covid-19. That’s about it.” Some 12 million people in the Philippine capital of Manila are now in near total lockdown after a Thursday order from the nation’s president Rodrigo Duterte banning domestic travel and an announcement earlier today of a nighttime curfew in the capital. The president…
-
Health minister to “suggest” closing bars, nightclubs
Thailand’s gaffe-prone public health minister and deputy PM Anutin Charnvirakul is back at it, telling a press conference this afternoon that the Public Health Ministry will “suggest additional precautions” to the government and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday, including the temporary closure of bars and entertainment venues, including nightclubs, concerts, live music venues and other venues where people congregate.…
-
Phuket Covid-19 ‘updates’
The spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus prompted tourism industry leaders in Phuket this week to support moves to cancel or postpone mass events across the island. All official Songkran Thai New Year festivities in the southern resort island’s Patong district have already been cancelled, along with the annual Phuket Bike Week, usually the biggest motorcycle event in Asia. Even the…
-
Seven new confirmed coronavirus cases in Thailand include popular actor
The Public Health Ministry confirmed 7 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus today, raising the number of infections in Thailand to 82 since the virus struck in January. Of those, 35 have recovered and been sent home, while 46 remain under medical care. One man died from complications arising from the illness. Sukhum Karnchanapimai, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said that…
-
240 Thais return home after ‘naval quarantine’
240 “phee noi” (little ghosts), Thais who have thus far returned from South Korea, have been allowed to return to their homes after they tested negative for the Covid-19 coronavirus. A spokesman for the Royal Thai Navy made the announcement yesterday. “We prepared 16 buses to take them to their homes and we have coordinated with Public Health offices in…
-
Doctors warn Thailand unprepared for Stage 3 virus outbreak
The Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak is still only at the second stage in Thailand, permanent secretary for public health Sukhum Kanchanapimai said yesterday, meaning the spread is still limited and mostly confined to overseas returnees, foreigners from affected countries and those in close contact with either group. But an association of doctors is warning that the nation might not be equipped…
-
The Thai Tourism Ministry hopes for Covid-19 to abate
Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said yesterday that if the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus continues, it will be a “big issue” nationally not only in terms of public health but also the tremendous loss of tourism revenue. However if the outbreak can be contained by then end of next month, the ministry expects more than 36 million tourists…
-
Monkeys plunder town hall building in South, apparently searching for food
Days after a pitched battle between rival monkey gangs rocked Lop Buri in central Thailand, dozens, perhaps hundreds of monkeys have ransacked an old town hall building in the southern province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, forcing staff to flee. It’s believed in both instances that the drop in tourism caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus, combined with dry weather and drought,…
-
Amazon cafe suspends ‘bring your own cup’ campaign
Thai coffee shop chain ‘Amazon’ announced today the suspension of their promotional campaign called “Café Amazon for Earth” which was aiming to reduce plastic waste by allowing customers to bring their personal cup when buying a beverage and receive a discount of 5 baht. The company says the decision to end the promotion was made to increase customers’ awareness to…
-
Thailand’s virus testing goes to the next level
There are currently 35 labs in Thailand that can test up to 200 specimens daily, and 20 more are expected to open soon. But there’s now a “superlab” that can perform 4000 tests per day. The facility, unveiled today by the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Sciences, will use the Rapid Polymerase Chain reaction method of testing. A department…
-
Friday the 13th: Thai bourse uses “circuit breaker” as coronavirus batters Thai stocks
The Stock exchange of Thailand (SET) pulled the “circuit breaker” for the second time in as many days, to suspend trade between 9:59 and 10:29am after the index fell by over 10% this morning. A stock analyst at Krungsri Securities said that move was due to panic selling after US President Donald Trump suspended travel from Europe for 30 days,…
-
Thousands laid off, millions of baht lost as Chiang Mai elephant camps close
Elephant businesses in Chiang Mai and elsewhere in Northern Thailand are being wiped out in their dozens by the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Most have closed their doors and laid off thousands of staff. Those that remain open are haemorrhaging money. According to Boonthachai Lert, chairman of Mae Taeng Elephant Camp and a spokesperson for the industry, 85 of Chiang Mai’s…
-
“Little ghosts” going home
Some of the Thai nationals dubbed “phee noi” (little ghosts), who recently returned from South Korea and were quarantined at a naval base in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district are today being sent to their hometowns. Public Health Ministry and Royal Thai Navy officials agreed this week that many of the migrant workers can be released. All are suspected of being…
-
Thailand confirms five new coronavirus cases
The Public Health Ministry confirmed five new Covid-19 coronavirus cases this morning in its daily press briefing. The new cases take the total number of infections in the country to 75 since January. 34 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospital. Meanwhile, worried citizens continue to have difficulty buying face masks and hand sanitiser due to short supply and…
-
Government cancels cancellation of visa-on-arrival, visa-free travel
In yet another abrupt U- turn, the government yesterday withdrew its suspension of visa-on-arrival status for 22 countries and territories over the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, less than 24 hours after issuing the order, citing the “need for more research.” The areas affected are Bulgaria, Bhutan, China (including Macau, China and Taiwan), Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Malta, Mexico, Nauru,…
-
China says US military may have brought virus to China
In an escalating war of words with Washington, China’s Foreign Ministry suggested yesterday that the US military might have brought the Covid-19 coronavirus to the Chinese city of Wuhan, long considered the source of the outbreak. China has taken great offence at comments by US officials accusing it of being slow to react to the virus, first detected in Wuhan…
-
Lazada investigating allegations of facemask price gouging
Online marketplace Lazada is investigating an allegation by the Commerce Ministry’s yesterday that protective facemasks for the Covid-19 coronavirus are being sold via its platform at illegally high prices. The masks were declared a price-controlled item in Thailand on February 4. Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit ordered a complaint filed against Lazada for allegedly allowing sales of masks by vendors at…
-
UPDATE: SCB becomes third bank to stop exchanging foreign cash
Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) today became the third Thai bank to cease exchanging foreign cash, shut down its exchange booths and quarantine booth staff for fourteen days as a result of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. The move comes after a similar move by Kasikorn Bank over the weekend – see original story below. Yesterday afternoon saw Krungthai Bank follow suit.…
-
Tourism officials ponder moving Songkran to July, boosting domestic tourism
Joint ventures with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) are trying to solve worst case scenarios of losing over 1 trillion baht in revenue and 10 million in inbound guests to celebrate Songkran. The TAT has set a optimistic target of 172 million domestic trips this year, generating 1.13 trillion baht in revenue.…
-
UPDATE: 11 new Covid-19 cases announced for Thailand – total now 70 people
Thailand now has a total of 70 Covid-19 Coronavirus cases with the announcement yesterday of six new confirmed patients and another 11 cases announced this morning. In their daily briefings the Thai Ministry of Public Health added that 34 patients had now fully recovered. One person has died of the disease in Thailand. And Thailand confirmed eleven more cases of…
-
Thai stocks tumbles, SET drops nearly 6%
Thailand’s stock exchange, the SET, plunged yesterday along with the region’s other bourses. The index dropped amid concerns over the growing global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. The SET dived 74.57 points, or nearly 6%, to 1,175.32 points. This all happened shortly after the open in a turnover of 9 billion baht. The SET50 index, Thailand’s top 50 listed companies, faired even…
-
US announces temporary ban on flights coming from Europe
The US President Donald Trump has announced today a month-long suspension for travellers out of Europe. The only exception if people travelling from the UK to the US. In an official televised address to the US TV audience from the White House, President Trump noted he was overseeing “the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in…
-
Covid-19 now a world pandemic, World Health Organisation
The Covid-19 coronavirus has now been identified in at least 114 countries, whilst killing more than 4,000 people. From an outbreak, to an epidemic, the coronavirus has now been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation. Even though media outlets around the world were starting to use the ‘P’ word, the WHO had so far resisted raising the…
-
“My experiences with Coronavirus in Bangkok”
Today, the owner of Ohana Poké restaurant ‘Mr. Jay’ in Bangkok, has recently been placed in quarantine after been confirmed with the Covid-19 coronavirus. Feeling concerned, Jay decided to blog about his experiences battling the disease and his personal experiences in quarantine, in an honest and open fashion. Rumours spread after Mr. Jay travelled from Singapore to Bangkok on February…
-
A few more flight cancellations and K-Pop curtailed
Airlines around the world are battling to re-assess and refine their flight schedules in response to the dive in passenger bookings following the outbreak and impact of the covid-19 coronavirus at the start of the year. In recent weeks the restrictions on travel, to many parts of the world, have started to bite. Thai AirAsia announced today that it will…
-
400 billion baht stimulus announced to boost Thai economy
“The package will inject an estimated 400 billion baht into the economy in a bid to return growth to positive territory.” Yesterday’s Thai cabinet meeting gave the greenlight to a new stimulus package. The government expects the approved 400 billion baht to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Last week’s 2,000 baht cash stimulus proposal, which was largely…
-
Three new coronavirus cases raises Thailand total to 53
The number of confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus cases in Thailand has now reached 53 with 3 new cases announced yesterday. The Thai Ministry of Public Health announced that the new cases brought the Thai total to 53, with 33 patients already fully recovered. One person has died and the others remain in hospitals for treatment. One of the new cases is…
-
Thai Airways passengers, flying from ‘at risk’ destinations, now require health certificates
Thai Airways is now demanding passengers, departing on their planes from China, Italy and South Korea, to Thailand, provide the national airline with health certificates before they can receive their boarding passes. The announcement was the airlines’ latest reaction to the growing coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. Here’s The Thaiger’s daily Coronavirus update HERE. The new compliance relates to Thai flights out…
-
Coronavirus UPDATE: China stabilises, Asian markets recover slightly, Italy goes into ‘lockdown’
More than 4,000 people have now succumbed to the Covid-19 coronavirus as it continues spreading around the globe. As of 12pm today, 4,027 have died from the virus, there are 114,422 cases confirmed around the world and 64,081 people have fully recovered. Whilst most of the cases and deaths are still in mainland China but the numbers of new cases…
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.