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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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....
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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…
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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…
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Fortress Phuket. The island closes off Sarasin Bridge and boating traffic, except supplies
Phuketians, you are marooned on a tropical island. Well, almost… Today the Phuket Governor has rolled out another level of lockdowns for the southern island. The new rules come into force tonight at midnight (00.01am March 30) and will run until the end of April, or until announced otherwise. There are a few exceptions as noted in the official declaration…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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6 new coronavirus cases in Phuket
Phuket island officials have reported 6 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus as of today (Sunday, March 29), bringing the total to 53 on the southern island. The details as known at time of publication are… Case 48: A 42 year old Thai woman, a gift shop owner in Patong. Case 49: A 32 year old Ukrainian woman who runs…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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With coronavirus cases rising, a Bangkok hospital puts out the call for more masks
Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok is running out of N95 facemasks for it personnel, and the director Suttipong Wacharasindhud has made a public plea for more. At a time when Covid-19 coronavirus cases are rising daily, he says the hospital has enough masks to last only another two weeks. “Due to the shortage of masks over the past three months, the…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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Phuket residents told to stay home from 8pm – 3am ‘until further notice’
A virtual curfew has been announced for the island of Phuket which will restrict residents to their accommodation or homes from 8pm – 3am until further notice. The only exceptions would be URGENT errands. The announcement takes effect from today until further notice, according to the notice signed by the Phuket Governor. The notice “seeks the collaboration of local residents and…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Thailand’s health ministry identifies coronavirus hotspots
The ministry of Public Health has released a list of what it considers Covid-19 coronavirus hotspots – places and times where the risk of contagion was extremely high. People who were in these places on these dates are urged to self-quarantine themselves in their homes, and to seek medical advice if they feel ill or show symptoms. The list covers…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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British PM Boris Johnson tests positive for Covid-19
The British PM has tested positive for the coronavirus. Boris Johnson says he developed “mild symptoms over the past 24 hours”, including a cough and temperature. Mr Johnson was last seen last night, UK time, as he clapped outside his home as part of a nationwide gesture thanking National Health Service staff. 55 year old Mr Johnson maintains he is now…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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King and Queen of Malaysia under quarantine after palace staff test positive for coronavirus
Malaysia has the highest number of Covid-19 coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia (2031 at time of publication), and now its King and Queen are under quarantine after 7 staff members of the royal palace tested positive for the virus. National news agency Bernama made the announcement yesterday. Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin and his wife Tuanku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah have tested…
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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…
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34 year old returns from Bangkok, attends a wedding, tests positive for Covid-19
A 34 year old woman, who has since been tested as positive with Covid-19, returned by bus from Bangkok to her home in Roi Et, north east Thailand, to attend a wedding. After results confirmed her case, officials are now scrambling to track down hundreds of guests that also attended the wedding. Governor of Roi Et, Wanchai Konggasem, reports that…
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Phuket reports 7 new coronvirus cases (Friday March 27)
7 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Phuket, bringing the total confirmed cases on the southern resort island to 41. All appear to originate from the Soi Bangla walking street entertainment area of Patong district. None of the cases is considered critical at this stage. The new cases comprise… • Case 35: A 22 year old Thai woman…
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