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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Sponsored 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....
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Second visa amnesty approved, will be automatic, free
The government has announced a second automatic visa extension for foreigners who are stranded in the country by the Covid-19 pandemic. A spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Cabinet approved the automatic visa extension today. Natapanu Nopakun, deputy spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said. Foreigners whose visa expired after March 26 will be permitted to…
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Thailand testing experimental Covid-19 vaccine on animals
Thailand, as well as the rest of the world, are racing against time to find a viable and safe vaccine for the Covid-19 virus. Thailand’s National Vaccines Institute, along with the science faculties of Mahidol Univesity and Faculty of Pharmacy of Chulalongkorn University, is currently testing a possible candidate for a Covid-19 vaccine on animals. This is the final stage before…
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Emergency decree extension will be discussed in next week’s cabinet meeting
“A meeting of cabinet ministers did not discuss an extension of the emergency decree.” – PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha. “The cabinet meeting did not consider extending the emergency decree, which is being enforced nationwide until April 30. The government is gathering related information, which will be presented to the cabinet meeting next week. The situation will depend on public cooperation and…
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Study finds no benefit from hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19 treatment
“The experiments and report has limitations, but adds to growing doubt over the efficacy of the drug.” There was plenty of hype, even shared by the US President. But a study published yesterday, the biggest of its kind to date, found no benefit from a malaria drug earlier touted as a potential treatment for Covid-19. It ended up being associated with…
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Thailand confirms 15 new Covid-19 cases, 1 death (Wednesday)
Thai health officials have confirmed 15 new cases of Covid-19 and 1 death today. The new cases bring Thailand’s total to 2,826 since the outbreak began, of whom 2,352, or 83% have now been released from hospital and returned home. Today’s new death brings Thailand’s total to 49. 3 of the 15 were reported in Phuket. 2 school teachers and…
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Phuket new Covid-19 cases up to 3 (Wednesday)
In a small jump, the southern island province of Phuket today confirmed 3 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the total to 5 since last Thursday. 1 case was reported yesterday and 1 on Friday. Previous to yesterday there had been 3 consecutive days without any infections. The announcement will likely prevent Phuket from being part of a wide-scale lifting of nationwide…
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Fern frustrated trying to hand out free food in Nakhon Pathom
A woman in Nakhon Pathom has taken to Facebook to share her frustration and disappointment after officials seized over 300 bundles of food that she planned to hand out in front of the Phra Pathom Chedi, north west of Bangkok. Fern Pannamjai posted on Monday that she was giving out food at the location for 30 minutes, along with photos of…
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Thai aviation will take to the skies with strict new anti-virus guidelines
“Little of this, plus the additional hassles at check in and immigration, is going to help entice tourists to return to Thailand in the short-term.” Looking at the new ‘normal’, post April 30 in Thailand, we are now starting to see how commercial aviation may have to function for, at least, the immediate future. Suffice to say, flying around is…
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Thailand visa amnesty extended to July 30
Thailand’s cabinet has approved a second automatic visa extension for foreigners for three more months. The extended amnesty is a bid to prevent long queues at immigration centres around the country. Narumon Pinyosinwat, spokeswoman for the Thai government, says they want to stem the spread of the coronavirus and avoid foreigners having to wait in lines and threaten their own health…
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What could happen after April 30? Thailand’s new ‘normal’
What could happen after April 30? Will it be the same in all provinces? Will the government prioritise public health, or a return to business? At this stage no final decisions are made. This is a collection of the latest information from various sources which provide a framework for what is likely to be the Thai government’s response to the…
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Irrigation Department of Chiang Mai urges citizens to use water sparingly
“The current drought situation is the worst it has been in a decade, with only 1.4 square liters of water running per second. The municipality’s request for water for the moat has had to be delayed as water for households is the main priority at this time.” The Director of Chiang Mai’s Irrigation Department said yesterday the department had added…
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An English translation of the PM’s letter to Thailand’s 20 richest
Much has been written and said about PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s letter to Thailand’s 20 richest people, requesting their “input and ideas,” with even Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam stepping in to clarify that the letter is “not begging for money.” Here is an English translation of the PM’s letter, which he announced following a nationally televised 10-minute speech on Friday. The…
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19 new Covid-19 cases in Thailand, 1 new death (Tuesday)
Health officials today reported 19 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the national total to 2,811 patients. There has also been 1 more death, a 50 year old taxi driver whose passengers included boxing stadium spectators, raises that tally to 48. The number of new cases is fewer than the 27 recorded yesterday, and the lowest since March 14. It marks…
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Thailand’s new ‘normal’ – Government charts course post-April 30
“The government will ease restrictions on businesses reopening only when it does not place people at a higher risk of catching the disease.” Trying to find a balance between the public health needs and the imperative to re-boot Thailand’s economy, the Government is rumoured to be mulling another month of the emergency decree. The current emergency decree is set to…
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Water discounts and refunds will start May 1
Yesterday The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority in Bangkok officially announced that there would be an automatic discount on water bills by 3% for people in Bangkok, Samut Prakarn and Nonthaburi. The measure will be active for 3 months. The announcement states… ‘The campaign will start in May and continue through to July, during which users will see the ‘Covid-19 discount’ notification…
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Phuket reports one new case, an 83 year old Italian
Phuket has added 1 new case today, taking the total number of cases up to 193 in the Province. The latest cases is 83 year old Italian man who had a history of going out into Bangla Road and have recently been to private hospital where he exhibited no specific symptoms relating to Covid-19. 17 people are said to be at…
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Oil prices tank, as crisis fuels calls to re-open economies
And now a global oil crisis hits home as well. Oil prices have crashed into negative territory after global coronavirus-related travel restrictions impacted demand. After addressing the early crisis with ‘lockdowns’ and social distancing, now the narrative pivots to lifting stay-at-home orders and re-opening economies. Some European countries have taken tentative steps to ease restrictions as coronavirus death rates start to…
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Doctors advise 5-step plan to re-opening Thailand
14 Thai doctors have sent a message to Thailand’s Government alerting them to the dangers of a premature easing of travel restrictions and closures around the country. Meanwhile pressure is mounting from people and hawkish businesses to reopen the schools, open the shop doors, restaurants and shopping centres. The group of doctors submitted a 5-point proposal. The government says it…
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PM will decide whether to relax Covid-19 restrictions
A spokeman for the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration says PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will decide in the next 10 days whether to relax remove restrictions imposed as part of the Emergency Decree to fight the spread of Covid-19. Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin says that the decision regarding the curfew and business closures “will depend on the situation ahead.” “As we move…
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Bangkok alcohol sales ban extended to April 30
The ban on alcohol sales in Bangkok will be extended for another 10 days. Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang announced has announced today that the Infectious Disease Control Committee has approved and agreed on an extension of the alcohol ban until April 30. The entertainment businesses will also be ordered to stay shut until the end of the month, this is…
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27 new virus cases, no deaths for third straight day, recovery rate passes 70%
Thailand reported 27 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours but no additional deaths today. The new figure is 5 fewer than the 32 cases reported yesterday, and the lowest number of daily cases recorded since March 14. The highest daily number was the 188 logged on March 22. There have now been 2,792 confirmed cases across the…
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Stranded Russian couple have been living in a Krabi cave
A Russian couple say they’ve been stuck in a cave waiting out the Covid-19 crisis in Thailand, after which they hope to return to their country. They’ve been holed up in a tent inside the entrance to the cave in Tonsai Bay, Krabi. Officials heard from locals about the 2 Russians, both around 30 years old, who had sought refuge…
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Pattaya’s biggest Songkran party makes way for empty streets
This week in Pattaya, in any other year, there is a traditional celebration known as Wan Lai (the celebration after Songkran) – a week long wet-fest where Thai citizens and tourists come to Pattaya to enjoy post-Songkran on steroids. In regular years the Pattaya festival draws hundreds of thousands of people from the world a truly unique festival/party, featuring dozens…
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HM the King approves 1.9 trillion baht stimulus for Thailand
A royal endorsement was published in Thailand’s Royal Gazette yesterday saying, “his Majesty the King has approved new stimulus measures and laws to enforce spending worth 1.9 trillion baht, to lessen the impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19) on the economy”. This will take effect immediately according to the Royal Gazette. Read more about the 1.9 trillion baht stems package HERE. The…
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Sweden’s massive public health gamble is failing
Whilst much of Europe, and the world, is currently in varying states of lockdown, one Scandanavian country has gone it alone with its own take on handling the Coronavirus pandemic. Sweden has no mandatory quarantines and relatively few limitations on moving around. Some schools remain open. Cafes, restaurants and shops, for the most part, remain open and stocked. Same with…
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4 pro golfers, 131 students allowed to return to Thailand
4 of Thailand’s most successful international golf champions, including Ariya Jutanugarn, her sister Moriya and Kiradech Aphibarnrat arrived home last night after weeks trapped in the US. They now face 14 days of mandatory quarantine. They had spent almost two months in the US. The number of infections in the US is growing at an alarming rate and the 3…
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“Thailand’s Covid-19 death rate is a quarter of the world average, recovery rate is high”
A spokesman for Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health claimed that the country’s mortality rate from Covid-19 is about a quarter of the world average at just 1.7%, while the recovery rate has climbed past 69%. The world average mortality rate is estimated at 6.4%, in the US it’s around 5.3%, Germany 3.1%, Italy 13.1% and the UK 13.5%. The published…
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Thailand’s new Covid-19 infections drop to 32 today, 0 deaths reported
A spokesman for the Thailand Covid-19 Coronavirus Situation Centre announced a total of 32 new cases of Covid-19 at this morning’s daily press briefing, down from yesterday’s 33, bringing the national total to 2765 since the start of the outbreak in January. No new deaths were reported, and the toll remains steady at 47. The spokesman told reporters that an…
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Sa Kaeo becomes Thailand’s 10th virus-free province
Thailand now has 10 provinces that are free of Covid-19, as Sa Kaeo in Thailand’s east, bordering Cambodia, discharged its final patient and joined Kamphaeng Phet, Chai Nat, Trat, Nan, Bueng Kan, Pi Jit, Ranong, Sing Buri and Ang Thong to make 10. The staff of Sa Kaeo Crown Prince Hospital yesterday celebrated the release of their last Covid-19 patient,…
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Navy delays sub purchases as it slashes budget by a third
All ministries in the Thai government have been instructed to contribute 10% of their 2020 budgets to the fight against Covid-19. Last week the Royal Thai Army announced it would also delay most of its purchases of new military hardware until the situation improves. A spokesman says that The Royal Thai Navy has gone further and will cut 33%, or…
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