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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New plans for managing Thailand’s 2020 public debt
The Thai Cabinet has approved new plans for managing the fiscal 2020 public debt that was previously proposed by the Ministry of Finance. Deputy Government spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul announced that… “according to the new plans, the amount of ‘new’ debt has been adjusted up to 1.497 trillion baht from 894.005 billion baht.” “The plan for the management of ‘existing’ debt has…
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Covid-19 update: 6 new cases nationwide, deaths toll remains at 54 (Saturday)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today has confirmed just 6 new Covid-19 cases over a 24 hour period, for the second consecutive day. That’s the lowest in over a month, and again no deaths, leaving the total death toll at 54 people. It’s the sixth consecutive day of single-digit numbers. Half of today’s new cases are in the southern…
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Phuket Covid-19 update: 3 new cases, no deaths (Saturday)
Phuket, in Thailand’s South, reports 3 new Covid-19 infections today, a jump from zero yesterday, but still well within the low single digits. All 3 are in the Bang Tao area in the beachside community on the island’s west coast. The area has become the island’s hotbed of infections since the closure of the Patong sub-district and its infamous Bangla…
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Trump claims “evidence” that virus originated in Wuhan lab, WHO wants to join investigation
US President Donald Trump claimed yesterday in a nationally televised address that he “has seen evidence” the the Covid-19 coronavirus originated in a Wuhan epidmiology lab, an assertion roundly disputed by scientists and intelligence agencies, and which threatens to turn into a diplomatic disaster. He declined to share the evidence, claiming he is “not allowed.” The claim was almost immediately contradicted…
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Thailand re-opens its doors tomorrow
Thailand springs back to life tomorrow (Sunday) with the alcohol sales ban being lifted and a raft of shops and services allowed to re-open, but under strict guidelines. Expect a lot of taking of temperatures, hand sanitisers at the entry of all shops, and the need to adhere to social distancing guidelines and the wearing of face masks. The list…
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National alcohol ban to be lifted from Sunday, May 3
In a surprise turn-around, after extending the national alcohol ban from yesterday for another month, the CSSA have announced that they are revoking the national ban on alcohol sales from this Sunday. But the provisions say that the alcohol can only be bought and must be taken away for consumption at home. You may not consume alcohol at restaurants. There…
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Covid-19 update: 6 new cases, lowest in over a month; no new deaths (Friday)
A spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today announced just 6 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, the lowest in over a month, and no deaths in the previous 24 hours. The total number of cases since the beginning of the outbreak thus rose to 2,960. Deaths remain at 54 for the third consecutive day. CCSA Spokesman Dr Taweesilp…
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54 Covid-19 deaths compared to 26,000 road deaths
OPINION by Brian Hull, long-term expat From time-to-time The Thaiger adds some different perspectives from guest posts. Expat Brian Hull gave us permission to repost his social media rant about the road deaths in Thailand, comparing them with the death toll from the Covid-19 outbreak. Thailand, with a population of 67 million, has done a good job to date in…
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Immigration wants to move 26 Rohingya women detained in Songkhla
There are 26 Rohingya women in a cramped detention facility in the Deep South province of Songkhla, on the Malaysian border, and the the Immigration Bureau wants them removed for fear they’ll become infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus. The Rohingya are a stateless, mainly Muslim ethnic group from the Rakhine state in Myanmar. They have been persecuted for years and…
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Passenger numbers at Don Mueang airport plummet over long weekend
The number of passengers passing through Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport over the coming long weekend is expected to be just a fraction of the usual figures as a result of the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 outbreak and aircraft travel restrictions. Khaosod English reports that airport officials say they expect to see no more than 4,000 passengers a day, a…
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Public mental health a government concern during Covid crisis
Following a spike in suicides and suicide attempts nationwide, thought to be largely due to the twin burdens of unemployment and isolation, the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has expressed concern about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of the public. Reuters reported yesterday that one woman, frustrated that she hadn’t received the 5,000 baht…
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Russian PM has Covid-19
Russia’s PM announced yesterday that he’s tested positive for Covid-19, making him the most senior official in the Russian government to become infected. PM Mikhail Mishustin informed President Vladimir Putin in a video call that he would self-isolate but would stay in touch on key policy issues. It wasn’t immediately clear when the two men last met. Since early in…
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Chon Buri centre for abused and trafficked children struggles amid Covid crisis
Thailand, like much of Southeast Asia, has long wrestled with human trafficking issues. According to the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report, June 2016, vulnerable “persons are trafficked into Thailand for forced labor or sexual exploitation and Thai nationals are trafficked abroad for the same reasons.” Among the most vulnerable are children. Pisorn Noja, director of the Centre for…
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Thai money changers now asking for government help
In a shocking reversal of fortune, money changers in Thailand, crushed by the the twin impacts of Covid-19 and the nationwide inbound flight ban, are asking for government assistance. The catastrophic drop in tourist numbers, (76.4% in March, and expected to be near 100% for April) has forced the The Thai Association of Foreign Exchange to ask the government for…
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Schools moving classes online as school year begins July 1
When Thailand officially closed all of its schools and universities in March due to the Covid-19 outbreak, no reopening date was announced. The summer holidays officially ended on April 21 and the third term was to begin the next day, but students across the nation remain stuck indoors due to the emergency Decree which is now extended until at least…
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Alcohol ban now national, extended until further notice
Alcohol sales are officially banned nationwide as of today, by order of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Permanent Secretary for the Interior Chatchai Promlert made the announcement yesterday. Previously, the decision to ban sales and transport of alcohol rested with provincial governors, all 76 of whom enacted the prohibition, which expired last night. The ban is now a national…
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Mass exodus as 40,000 people departing Phuket
Since the announcement that people in Phuket could leave the island and return to their home provinces, people have been spilling out of the island since 5 am this morning (the daily curfew lifted at 4am) creating long traffic jams and queues at Tha Chatchai checkpoint. After registrations on Wednesday, over 40,000 people have signed up for the mass exodus…
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Pattaya mayor pledges assistance for city’s nightlife venues
A report today claims that Pattaya’s Mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem and City Hall are promising to help the city’s entertainment venues that have been shuttered as part of the restrictions in place to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus. The pledge comes as Chonburi province moves into the “white zone” (seen as low-risk) after a period in the high-risk “red…
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Booze ban extended as some businesses allowed to reopen
Although some businesses will be allowed to reopen in some locations as of Sunday, a government spokesman has today confirmed that the ban on alcohol sales will remain in place until further notice. While there is no national order banning alcohol sales, all 77 provinces have done so and have now been ordered by PM Prayut Chan-ocha to keep all…
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Antiviral Remdesevir has “significant effect” – VIDEO
The controversial antiviral drug Remdesevir got a boost today after Dr Anthony Fauci, the most trusted voice in the US when speaking of Covid-19, announced the drug has has a “clear-cut” effect in helping Covid-19 patients recover. “The data show that Remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery, proving that a drug can block…
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Sub-district restrictions remain intact for 5 locations in Phuket
Phuket’s outgoing Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana has confirmed that the island’s sub-district lockdowns will end tonight (or technically at 4am Friday morning because of the national curfews). But five ‘at risk’ locations on the island will remain closed off with checkpoints to curb any further re-ignition of the Covid-19 infections on the island. 3 more cases were announced for the island…
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All emergency decrees to remain in place for another month – PM
Any hopes people may have had of seeing lockdown restrictions eased for some low-risk businesses and social activities at the start of May have been dashed by Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. The PM issued an order, published in the Royal Gazette last night, mandating all provincial governors, including the governor of Bangkok, to delay their plans to ease the measures until…
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Phuket Covid-19 update: 3 new cases, 3 more recovered (Thursday)
PHOTO: Phuket 101 The southern province of Phuket has reported 3 new Covid-19 infections, up from none yesterday, bringing the total on the island to 217 since the outbreak began. All 3 new cases are inthe Bang Tao subdistrict, which has become the latest hot zone since the closure of Patong and its famous Bangla Road red light district. Phuket…
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Tourism ministry floats long-stay travel packages
The Covid-19 outbreak has crushed Thailand’s tourism industry, already battered by a flat high season in the previous year, and with the national ban on international arrivals extended until at least May 30, and domestic travel still heavily restricted, the situation isn’t likely to improve soon. But the coronavirus crisis, like all things, will pass, and Thailand’s Tourism and Sports…
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6 million unemployed in tourism alone – a stark outlook for Thailand’s tourist industry
More accurate predictions are starting to emerge as the full impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand start to become clearer, and we still don’t have the shops open yet. Reports from the UN’s International Labour Organisation, in collaboration with the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, have already made stark predictions about the problems that lay ahead for…
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Stranded Russian student earns his room and board at Surat Thani temple
Ivan’s life has taken quite an unexpected turn. The young Russian student probably never expected to be handing out meals alongside Buddhist monks in somewhere in southern Thailand, but that’s how he spends his days now that he’s broke and stranded. He survives on meals from, and helps out where he can, at a temple in Surat Thani. Phra Khru…
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US Covid-19 cases pass 1 million as Germany starts wearing masks – VIDEO
Covid-19 cases in the US passed the 1 million mark in the past 24 hours, with US President Donald Trump claiming that the high number are “because of better testing”. The outbreak has left tens of millions unemployed in the US and nearly 60,000 dead, by far the highest number of confirmed fatalities – well over a quarter of the…
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Chiang Mai governor meets related sectors at Chaloem Phrakiat meeting room
Today at the Chaloem Phrakiat Meeting Room, in Chiang Mai, Charoenrit Sanguansat the governor of Chiang Mai, along with 3 deputy governors, 25 sheriffs (from all districts), heads of government, prosecutors, military officials, police and related sectors, came for a briefing on how Chiang Mai will move towards opening up the province in the upcoming weeks. Charonenrit says that even…
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Don Mueang Airport prepares to reopen
Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport is preparing to open for more flights beginning this Friday, as 2 airlines have announced plans to resume limited domestic routes. The airport’s director Samphan Khutranont says Thai AirAsia and Thai Lion Air will resume some domestic service at Don Mueang on Friday, in addition to Nok Air, which has continued operating about 20 domestic…
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“Please be patient. I share your pain” – Thai PM
Following the extension of the emergency decree for another month, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is calling on everyone to bear with him as efforts to flatten the Thai Covid-19 curve continue. The Bangkok Post reports that with the decree being extended until May 31, the PM is now asking for understanding and cooperation, promising that the government will provide financial assistance…
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