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 one hospital visit in Thailand could cost more than your whole trip

    Thailand is a favourite spot for travellers who want to enjoy more while spending less. From cheap street food to low-cost hotels and fun attractions, it’s easy to stretch your budget here. But there’s one thing many people don’t think...

  • Thai government “more confident” after recent re-openings see no new Covid cases

    Thai government “more confident” after recent re-openings see no new Covid cases

    A week after the re-opening of Thailand’s schools and nightlife venues, the government says it’s feeling more confident as the country records no new locally-spread cases of Covid-19. The final phase of re-opening was seen as the riskiest, involving venues such as pubs and nightclubs, where social distancing might prove more of a challenge. Thailand has now gone more than…

  • “Travel bubble” scheme likely to be delayed

    “Travel bubble” scheme likely to be delayed

    Thailand’s “travel bubble” scheme, which would allow limited numbers of certain groups of tourists from nations or areas deemed Covid-19 free by the World Health Organisation, now appears likely to be delayed. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has announced the delay after several countries, that were considered for the scheme, have now seen resurgences of the virus. The CAAT’s…

  • No new cases today- Covid-19 update (July 7)

    No new cases today- Covid-19 update (July 7)

    Today, there have been no new reported cases of Covid-19 in Thailand over the past 24 hours leaving the total amount of cases remaining at 3,195 with 58 deaths since the pandemic began. The number of recovered patients remains at 3,072, leaving 65 still hospitalized. The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration said that of the 3,195 accumulated cases, 2,444 contracted…

  • The transformation of Thai hotels under the ‘new normal’ – CBRE

    The transformation of Thai hotels under the ‘new normal’ – CBRE

    The full impact from Covid-19 could be prolonged, even after the actual virus is finally brought under control. CBRE, an international property consultant, expects Thailand’s hotel industry will undergo inevitable changes as part of the ‘new normal’. A new report says there will be an added emphasis on hygiene, a redefined restaurant concept, new partnerships and design alterations in line…

  • Thailand’s economy facing bleakest prediction in Asia

    Thailand’s economy facing bleakest prediction in Asia

    “The Bank of Thailand predicts that its gross domestic product will shrink by more than 8% this year.” While Thailand appears to have been successful in suppressing the Covid-19 virus, a report in The Bangkok Post today says the outlook for the country’s economy is far from favourable, calling it the worst in Asia. The Bank of Thailand predictions are…

  • Over 73,000 Thai farmers to get relief aid after appeals approved

    Over 73,000 Thai farmers to get relief aid after appeals approved

    Over 73,000 Thai farmers are set to get much-needed aid after their appeals for financial help have been approved. The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) says it will transfer the aid tomorrow, in the amount of 5,000 baht, to help with the Covid-19 economic fallout. BAAC secretary Anan Suwanrat says the ministry’s appeal panel has approved 73,975 appeals…

  • Illegal migrants workers bring fears of new Covid infections

    Illegal migrants workers bring fears of new Covid infections

    After more than 3,000 illegal migrant workers were caught trying to enter Thailand, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is warning that there is still a risk of new infections. CCSA spokesperson Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin says most of them have been detained and many have been sent back to their own countries but because they actually made it into the Kingdom,…

  • Covid-19 increasingly linked with patients who lose their sense of smell

    Covid-19 increasingly linked with patients who lose their sense of smell

    Wake up and smell the roses. But a group of Covid-19 patients simply can’t as they’ve lost their sense of smell. Anosmia, losing the ability to smell, can be psychologically difficult to live with and has no real treatment. Anosmia has been linked to some Covid-19 patients, both before they develop full symptoms or after they recover from the major…

  • Australia shuts down border between 2 most populous states over Covid-19 fears

    Australia shuts down border between 2 most populous states over Covid-19 fears

    Australian officials are closing borders indefinitely starting from tomorrow for its two most populous states over Covid-19 fears, Victoria and New South Wales. The move comes after authorities scramble to contain a coronavirus outbreak in the northern suburbs of the city of Melbourne, with some fearing that even these current containment measures may not work to stop the spread of…

  • New police division to track tourists’ movements in fight against Covid-19

    New police division to track tourists’ movements in fight against Covid-19

    A new division of the Royal Thai Police is being formed to monitor tourists’ movements as part of the ongoing suppression of the Covid-19 virus. According to national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda, the newly-created department, named the Covid-19 Investigation Division, will reportedly monitor both foreign tourists and repatriated Thai citizens. The news comes as Thailand is beginning to gradually lift…

  • Poll shows majority of Thais still worry about coronavirus

    Poll shows majority of Thais still worry about coronavirus

    Although there have been no locally transmitted Covid-19 cases in Thailand for 41 days, a majority of locals are still worried about the spread of the virus, according to the most recent survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, better know simply as the Suan Dusit Poll. The survey was conducted between July 1-4, on 1,109 people throughout the kingdom to…

  • Thai PM expresses concern over “travel bubbles”

    Thai PM expresses concern over “travel bubbles”

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed serious concerns about the resumption of international travel under the “travel bubble” scheme, stressing that Thailand must implement a vigorous arrivals screening protocol. The scheme is a proposed limited resumption of international travel to and from countries with a reciprocal agreement. The Thai government has indicated it has taken a risk-averse stance with future Covid-19…

  • India aims to have Covid-19 vaccine by mid-August

    India aims to have Covid-19 vaccine by mid-August

    But scientists are skeptical at the speed of the development. India has announced its plan to take its first Covid-19 vaccine from human trials to general use by mid-August, just 6 weeks from now. Bharat Biotech International, an unlisted vaccine maker, received regulatory approval to start human clinical trials for its experimental vaccine earlier this week, but it’s already got…

  • Covid-19 update: 40 days with no locally transmitted cases (July 4)

    Covid-19 update: 40 days with no locally transmitted cases (July 4)

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration confirmed this morning that Thailand has not recorded a single locally transmitted case of Covid-19 in 40 days. 5 imported cases were reported today of repatriated Thai nationals – 1 from Kuwait, 1 from the UK and 3 from Sudan. All were discovered in state quarantine facilities. CCSA spokesman Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin says Thailand…

  • Global Covid-19 cases exceed 11 million people. Deaths over 529,000.

    Global Covid-19 cases exceed 11 million people. Deaths over 529,000.

    Covid-19 infections around the globe surpassed 11 million yesterday, another grim milestone in the spread of the virus that’s has killed more than half a million people since the outbreak began just over 6 months ago. According to the World Health Organisation, the number of cases is now more than double the figure for severe influenza illnesses recorded annually. 1…

  • WHO clarify the early days of the novel coronavirus

    WHO clarify the early days of the novel coronavirus

    As the coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, adding a million new infections in less than a week, NGOs and governments, alike, are starting to publish their official narrative about the early days of Covid-19. For the World Health Organisation, they now strenuously deny any complacency toward China and have published a series of notifications and communications with Chinese authorities outlining the…

  • Hospital director proposes importing overseas Covid-19 patients for treatment

    Hospital director proposes importing overseas Covid-19 patients for treatment

    With the Covid-19 situation in Thailand apparently well in hand (there have been no locally transmitted cases for well over a month), a hospital director in Bangkok is proposing flying in patients from abroad for treatment at his hospital. The director of Mongkutwattana Hospital is considering medical flights to bring international Covid-19 cases to the hospital for treatment, in an…

  • Thailand targeting specific Chinese provinces for “tourism bubble”

    Thailand targeting specific Chinese provinces for “tourism bubble”

    Thailand’s minister of tourism and sports says his ministry will target specific provinces in China in a bid to attract tourists back to the resort island of Phuket as travel restrictions are gradually eased. Pipat Ratchakijprakarn says the ministry will not splash out money launching a tourist campaign all across China but rather target some of the many provinces that…

  • Visa amnesty extension for foreigners “being considered”

    Visa amnesty extension for foreigners “being considered”

    Thailand’s Immigration Bureau is considering extending the current visa amnesty for foreigners stranded in Thailand. The Foreign Ministry’s deputy spokesperson made the announcement at this morning’s daily Covid-19 briefing by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The Cabinet’s last resolution was to grant an automatic visa extension for foreigners stranded here to stay until July 30. The deputy spokesperson asked…

  • Bangkok’s shopping malls struggle under tourist ban, fierce competition

    Bangkok’s shopping malls struggle under tourist ban, fierce competition

    Suvarnabhumi, the name of Bangkok’s second international airport, means “realm of gold,” and was given by His Majesty the late King Rama IX to Bangkok’s eastern outskirts (technically in Samut Prakhan province), once a marshland called Nong Nguhao (Cobra Swamp). With its overtones of wealth, the name represents the hopes of developers, who are turning the area into a retail…

  • Finalised “travel bubble” list to be submitted to CCSA

    Finalised “travel bubble” list to be submitted to CCSA

    Thailand’s tourism and sports minister says foreign tourists will be allowed back into the Kingdom in August under a 3 phase “travel bubble“ strategy, which will include countries who are considered at a low-risk of the Covid-19 contagion and will be allowed to travel on specific routes or itineraries “booked through small agencies.” After discussions with the Tourism Authority of…

  • Chiang Mai International Airport sees more traffic

    Chiang Mai International Airport sees more traffic

    Northern Thailand’s gateway airport is recovering some of its flight and passenger traffic. With the easing of travel restrictions enforced to fight the spread of Covid-19, the director of Chiang Mai’s international airport says traffic is picking up, and more flights and passengers are expected this month. On average, the airport received 40 flights and about 4,000-5,000 passengers per day…

  • Uruguay’s Covid-19 Policy of “freedom with responsibility” shows success

    Uruguay’s Covid-19 Policy of “freedom with responsibility” shows success

    To the Government of Uruguay’s relief, their policy of “independence with responsibility” in the containment of the Covid-19 pandemic seems to have been successful… so far. Yesterday, when Europe opened its borders to 15 countries, Uruguay became the only Latin American country to be included. With less than 1,000 registered Covid-19 cases and just 27 deaths, the 3.4 million-plus nation is…

  • Nightlife operators warned: follow the rules or face closure

    Nightlife operators warned: follow the rules or face closure

    Bangkok police have issued a stern warning to nightlife venue operators… follow the rules or be closed again. National police chief Chaktip Chaijinda has instructed officers to make sure entertainment venue operators comply with disease control regulations and that both service providers and customers understand the “new normal.” The warning comes after a meeting of senior city police, the Health…

  • Thailand proposes a 3 phase “travel bubble” strategy

    Thailand proposes a 3 phase “travel bubble” strategy

    Thailand is proposing a “travel bubble” pilot scheme featuring a proposed five areas of the country to be tested before international tourists are officially allowed to enter. The move is reportedly to focus on safely reopening by using the areas of Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Krabi, Phuket, and Pattaya, as experimental locations, which would allow tourists to enter at a maximum…

  • Up to 2.7 million Thai travel, hospitality and tourism workers unemployed by September

    Up to 2.7 million Thai travel, hospitality and tourism workers unemployed by September

    The president of the Thai Tourism Industry Council says confidence among Thailand’s tourism business operators fell to the lowest level in a decade during the second quarter this year, with about 2.6 million workers already unemployed and about another 100,000 expected to be laid off in Q3 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The gloomy forecast is the result…

  • “We Tour Together” launched to boost domestic tourism

    “We Tour Together” launched to boost domestic tourism

    The government has announced its “Rao Thieu Duaykan” (We Tour Together) program, created as a stimulus boost to domestic tourism and help the travel and hospitality sectors battered by closures and bans in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. From July 15, Thai citizens can apply for a government subsidy to cover part of their hotel and dining expenses when travelling…

  • US buys up most of the world’s supply of Covid-19 drug

    US buys up most of the world’s supply of Covid-19 drug

    The US has purchased almost the entire global supply of one of the main drugs used to treat Covid-19 patients. Reports say that American officials have bought up all the Remdesivir available in July and 90% of the supply company’s stock in August and September as well. Remdesivir, which was originally developed to treat Ebola, is produced almost exclusively by the…

  • Thailand sets new guidelines to govern “medical tourism”

    Thailand sets new guidelines to govern “medical tourism”

    Thailand’s medical community is rolling out a set of guidelines for medical tourism as the country prepares to open its borders to international visitors. According to the director-general of the Department of Health Service Support, yesterday’s first meeting of the medical hub committee resulted in 3 decisions. The first outcome from the meeting set a new policy pertaining to quarantine…

  • Thai government extends contact-tracing app to Bangkok metro, Skytrain services

    Thai government extends contact-tracing app to Bangkok metro, Skytrain services

    Thai Chana is coming to an MRT station near you… As social distancing requirements are eased on public transport, the Thai government says that from today, passengers must check in and out of the capital’s metro and Skytrain services through the Thai Chana platform. Officials from both the MRT and BTS services say passengers are also asked to refrain from…