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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Thai manufacturers of ‘substandard’ sanitisers warned
The ruling ‘Phalang Pracharat’ Party has given a warning that using counterfeit alcohol-based sanitisers can lead to lethal health conditions and vendors will face imprisonment. Tipanan Sirichana, a deputy spokesperson of the ruling party, posted on her Facebook account that there were several cases of patients suffering from respiratory illness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after using substandard sanitisers. “The chemical…
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Olympics postponement may be ‘inevitable’ due to Covid-19
Today Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe, says “postponing the Olympics over the coronavirus pandemic may become inevitable”, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said a delay was being considered as pressure grows from athletes and sports bodies. Meanwhile Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic committees announced they will not send teams to the Games if they are held this summer, prioritising the health…
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Cash handouts to Thais being proposed
“Those Thais with social security will be taken care of by the Social Security Office, while those who are not insured under the social security scheme will be taken care of by the Ministry of Finance. We are planning to use an emergency budget from fiscal 2020 of around 20 billion baht to provide cash handouts to people affected by…
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Covid-19 coronavirus questions and answers
Everything you wanted to know which we answer to the best of our current knowledge…. 1. How does the virus/infection spread? Mostly spread through contact with an infected person through coughing, sneezing, nasal secretion and saliva. It is understood that the virus can be airborne for at least a short time. So just being in the same vicinity as an…
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Thailand confirms 122 new coronavirus cases (Monday)
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and the Department of Disease control confirmed 122 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus in their daily press briefing today (Monday). This brings Thailand’s total to 721 since the virus was first detected in January. 7 remain in critical condition. Of the new cases, 16 have been traced to previously confirmed cases, while 4 were…
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Thailand seals borders in North, Northeast
“All travellers should closely monitor announcements concerning the border closure to prevent misunderstandings.” Thailand’s borders are now sealed to all but freight traffic in the North and Northeastern regions. The third Thai-Lao Friendship, linking Nakhon Phanom province with Khammouane province in Laos, closed at 10pm yesterday as a precaution against the Covid-19 coronavirus. Goods vehicles are still permitted but drivers…
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WHO says lockdowns aren’t enough, urgent measures needed now
The World Health Organisation is warning that national “lockdowns” aren’t enough to defeat the Covid-19 coronavirus, and that public health measures are urgently needed to prevent a resurgence of the disease once the numbers of infections begin to fall. Given the failure of the ‘lockdowns’ and border closures in Italy four weeks ago, the WHO are asking national governments to…
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Covid-19 UPDATE: Thailand’s latest cases, ‘Olympics’ decision in four weeks
As the world’s new cases soar past 338,000 this morning (including 9,339 new cases announced in the US over the past 24 hours), Thailand is bracing itself for a wave of cases outside of Bangkok. Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and the Department of Disease control confirmed 122 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus in their daily press briefing today (Monday). This…
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The Thaiger, punching on in tough times
The Thaiger is a small, dedicated team who have been working overtime to keep up the flow of accurate (as best we can) information over the past two and a half months as the coronavirus story has evolved. But we’re a small business, like many others, and have a lot of pressures on us to keep punching on whilst so…
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Officials concerned about people heading ‘up country’ after being put off work
Bangkok’s next door provinces are imposing increased preventative measures to deal with Thailand’s current surge of Covid-19 cases by closing a range of retail business, starting today. The closures are set to add a wave of newly-unemployed who may decide to head home for the annual Songkran early, and that’s a problem. The provinces that have followed the lead from…
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Chiang Rai reports first coronavirus cases
The Thai Health Department reported 89 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, two of which are in Chiang Rai Province. (188 new cases were reported today, Sunday, bringing Thailand’s total to 599.) Both Chiang Rai patients are being treated in hospital and have provided medical authorities with lists of those they have been in contact with. Chiang Rai health officials have…
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Sa Kaeo closes 19 Cambodian border checkpoints – Covid-19
Despite denials only days ago, all 19 checkpoints in the eastern province of Sa Kaeo, two permanent and 17 temporary, along the border with Cambodia will be temporarily closed in a bid to stem the spread of the Covid-19 coronivirus. Thai health officials announced a new total of 599 cases. Read that story HERE. The order, dated yesterday, signed by…
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13 cases in Phuket, official
13 cases of Covid-19 coronavirus have now been confirmed in the southern Thai island of Phuket. 6 new cases have been announced in the past 24 hours. On Friday the Phuket Governor admitted to five cases on the island – 2 Chinese visitors in early February and 3 current cases involving a Danish family. 188 new cases have been announced…
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Covid-19 UPDATE: World cases exceed 300,000, Italian hospitals overwhelmed
In the past week, the number of Covid-19 coronavirus cases has nearly doubled. Same with the number of deaths. This morning (10am Thai time) more than 308,000 people are now infected with the novel coronavirus worldwide, and that’s only the people who have been tested and identified. The most worrying rises have been in the US, Spain, Italy, Germany and…
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More airline cancellations as options dry up for stranded visitors
It is becoming increasingly difficult to fly in an out of Thailand, posing more challenges for stranded foreign visitors and tourists. Last week the Thai government estimated there were some 500,000 overseas visitors currently in Thailand. Some of the latest cancellations from local carriers… • Budget airline VietJet suspended its flights to major Southeast Asian destinations, out of Vietnam, including…
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Bangkok’s five surrounding provinces also enforce closures, supermarkets stay open
Five provinces neighbouring the Thai capital are now following suit and ordering the temporary closure of some shops and stores from today up to April 12. The five provinces are Samut Prakarn, Samut Sakhon, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi and Pathumthani. The efforts are designed to slow the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in and around Greater Bangkok. Yesterday 89 new cases…
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Bangkok closures – the details and the panic buying
After today’s announcement from the BMA that the closures around the city would be ramped up, supermarkets started filling up as the shelves started becoming increasingly empty. The additions to the closure list is the latest efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 around the Thai capital. Bangkokians have started to stock up on essential goods after the Bangkok Metropolitan…
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Bangkok closes shopping centres and markets from tomorrow
It’s the lockdown you have when you haven’t really declared a full lockdown. Today’s announcement from the Bangkok government is a step close to a virtual close-down of most Bangkok retail. Today’s order closes all department stores and markets in the capital for three weeks. The measures are the latest attempts to stem the rise in cases of Covid-19 around…
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Man arrested for deliberately trying to contaminate Bangkok lift – VIDEO
A 32 year old Thai man in Bangkok has been arrested after being captured on CCTV camera deliberately contaminating an elevator with his saliva and sweat. Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) staff told reporters the incident was captured on CCTV at 5:23am Friday. Footage shows the man, with a shaved head and wearing a singlet and shorts, touching his tongue,…
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Thailand closes many of its land borders
Interior Ministry, Anupong Paojinda, has given governors full authority to close all border provinces, but must leave one international checkpoint active for special circumstances. The move is the latest in Thailand’s attempts to block any arrivals to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, which has spiked sharply with new cases this past week. “The only exception will be Chiang Rai as it…
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Thailand confirms 89 new Covid-19 cases, 411 total
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and its Department of Disease Control has confirmed 89 new cases of the Covid19 coronavirus this morning. The total of cases in Thailand now stands at 411 since the virus first struck Thailand in January. 51 cases of the new cases are linked to previous clusters… Lumphini Boxing Gym cluster – 32 Bangkok night club…
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Covid-19 UPDATE: 89 new cases in Thailand, Italian attempts fail to control escalation in cases
Despite four weeks of ‘lockdown’ including closing borders, cancelling flights, closing schools, limiting domestic travel and closing public places, Italy’s level of new cases, and deaths, continues to rise at an alarming level. The best efforts of Italian health officials has failed to contain the spread of the disease, particularly in the north of the country. The death toll from…
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Despite closures elsewhere, Chiang Rai’s border crossings to remain open for trade
“I stress that people need to cooperate with instructions from the government to reduce transmission. Please do not gather or go to other provinces.” Although the Interior Ministry has ordered most border provinces to leave only one checkpoint open as the country tries to block arrivals to contain the coronavirus outbreak, an exception has been made for Chiang Rai, which…
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Chinese tourist packing their bags to come back to Thailand
Some groups of Chinese say they’re ready to pack their bags and start travelling again. And, astonishingly, Thai tourism officials say they they’re preparing for a return of Chinese tourists! Chinese tourists groups say they expect to resume their travels in April as the novel coronavirus (Covid19) infections start to subside in China. Thai tourism officials say they are aiming…
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25 Covid-19 cases awaiting test results in Phuket, 5 cases confirmed yesterday
At a tetchy meeting of the Provincial Communicable Diseases Committee in Phuket Town yesterday, Phuket’s Govenor Phakaphong Tavipatana finally admitted to five cases of Covid-19 on the holiday island, three of them still active. After weeks of obfuscation and denying active cases of the coronavirus in Phuket, the Governor finally came clean after repeated questions from a frustrated Phuket press…
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Grab Food launches ‘contactless delivery’
Today, GrabFood has introduced the “contactless delivery” to ensure the hygiene and health of customers during the Covid-19 crisis. Tarin Thaniyavarn of Grab Thailand says, “Grab has been closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation and is prepared to execute any necessary measures to promote safety standards for everyone involved.” GrabFood and its restaurant providers have also reevaluated safety guidelines… Drivers will…
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Phuket immigration offers 30 day extensions for stranded foreigners
“Please, any foreigners coming to the Immigration office must wear face masks. If they don’t have one, they will have to go get one first, then we can talk.” On Wednesday the Sorts and Tourism Minister said that he’d been discussing the problem of overstaying tourists and visitors, due to a lack of flights or border closures in their home…
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Culture clash over foreigners’ refusal to wear face masks
With the rapid rise of Covid-19 coronavirus cases in Thailand, more than tripling in the space of a week, a culture clash previously seen in China, is rearing its head in the Land of Smiles. While Thais, even in areas with no infections, consider face masks obligatory and a sign of concern for the welfare of others, many visitors and…
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Day and night – Bangkok deep cleaning phase
Deputy Bangkok Governor Sakonthi Pattiyakul, posted on his Facebook, revealing that Bangkok is in its “deep cleaning phase” and all 50 districts will be affected. Focusing on the ground and public seating, authorities will first use disinfectant sprays to spray down everything then use a wipe with at least 70% alcohol to minimise any potential Covid-19 threats. This will continue…
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Government House sanitised, coronavirus impact to last “at least a year”
“Thailand’s population will face the impact of the coronavirus for at least a year, it is the time to unite, not pointing fingers and we will go through it together.” The Government House compound in Bangkok has been ‘sanitised’ after a security officer for Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus. Uttama himself has been in self-isolation…
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