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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Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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Thailand imports chemicals from China to commence local production of antivirals
“We need to make sure we have at least 1 million pills of Favipiravir in store.” The Managing Director of Thailand’s Government Pharmaceutical Organisation Dr. Withoon Danwiboon says, “we have made contact with China to buy ‘Favipiravir’ (an antiviral drug) to start the production of the drugs locally as one of the treatments of Covid-19 virus in the country.” “We…
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CP Group delivers first 100,000 masks from its new factory
Thailand’s largest private company and one of the world’s largest conglomerates. the Charoen Pokphand Group, better known as CP, presented the first batch of 100,000 surgical facemasks from its own factory to Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital late this week. Group Chairman Dhanin Chearavanont says he is delighted that the factory was built in just five weeks, at a cost of some…
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33 new Covid-19 cases (Saturday), no deaths, as recovery rate passes 65%
Health officials today reported 33 new cases of Covid-19 but no deaths, raising total cases in Thailand to 2,733, while the death toll remains at 47 since the outbreak began in January. The first case of human-to-human transmission in Thailand was reported on January 31. 68 of Thailand’s 77 provinces have reported infections. The number of recovered patients is now…
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PM Prayut seeks ideas and resources from Thailand’s top 20 richest people
Last night in a special 10 minute broadcast on national TV PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that he will write an open letter to Thailand’s top 20 richest people to seek their assistance and help for the government and Thai citizens in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. He explained that he’s doing it to gather their input and ideas to…
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Tourist numbers and revenue expected to plunge, exceeding worst predictions for 2020
It’s no secret that the Covid-19 outbreak has been disastrous for Thailand’s tourism sector, long considered a vital lifeline of the nation’s already battered economy. Now the Tourism Authority of Thailand is projecting that Thailand is likely to close the year with only 16 million international tourists and 60 million domestic trips, far below the pre-virus targets of 40 million…
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700,000 employees unemployed as more factories suspend production
According to the Thai Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, thousands of factory workers have now become unemployed due to manufacturing shutting up shop because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of people now claiming government financial aid has also doubled to 700,000 since December 2019. Yesterday Apinya Sujarittanan, director general of the DLPW, said that the Social Security Fund…
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Foreigners arrested for holding noisy party on Koh Phangan
A group of foreign tourists have been detained after “partying” at a rented house on Koh Phangan. Koh Phangan is the home to the monthly full-moon parties, a boat-ride away from Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. Police from Koh Phangan police station raided the house after a tip-off from the village head complaining that many foreign tourists were regularly…
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Traditional massage practitioners have trouble qualifying for government handouts
There has been an ongoing problem where Thai traditional massage practitioners have had trouble applying and qualify for the government financial aid of 5,000 baht per month. The Ministry of Public Health has picked up the issue and says they are consulting with the Ministry of Finance to discus further measures to help this spectrum of workers. The Deputy Minister…
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Postcards from Thais struggling through the Covid-19 crisis
Thai citizens throughout the Kingdom have been struggling to earn enough money to survive as the government continues to enforce new measures of the state of emergency to reduce Covid-19 infections. Here are some opinions of local Thai citizens collected by the Bangkok Post. • Kanchanaburi province (west coast of Thailand) was a popular tourist attraction where people who wanted to…
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Stranded, broke and hungry, German pensioner gets help from Bangkok philanthropist
A German pensioner, stranded by the Covid-19 crisis and a lack of outbound flights, broke and hungry in Bangkok’s Khao San Road area, has become the latest beneficiary of a well known Thai philanthropist. The 66 year old man told wealthy realtor and hotel developer Surat Wongcharnsin he was hungry and stranded with just 20 baht. Surat took pity and…
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PM offers apology for “confusion” over 5,000 baht handouts – VIDEO
Since PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced a 5,000 baht monthly handout for “informal” workers affected by the Covid-19 crisis, there has been conflicting information, extensions, denials and general confusion. And rejected Thais fronting up to the Finance Ministry and waving their bottoms at surprised ministry officials in protest. Yesterday he offered a public apology for the government’s “miscommunication” and assured the…
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Phone booths get new lease on life as ‘Covid boxes’
Move over Clark Kent, there’s a new Superhero in town in need of your dressing room. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry is converting TOT phone booths into Covid-19 testing kiosks to help lower the infection risk faced by healthcare workers due to the shortage of personal protective equipment. At a cost of less than 1,000 baht to repurpose, selected…
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Pattaya irons out the wrinkles at checkpoints
After some major traffic nightmares during the initial implementation of restricted movement in Pattaya, the wrinkles have been ironed out and the lockdown is now flowing smoothly. Thanks in part to cooperation from the public, together with improved routing management during permissible driving hours, the lockdown has helped reduce the spread of Covid 19 in the Chonburi province as the…
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28 new Covid-19 cases (Friday), one more death, as recovery rate reaches 62%
Health officials confirmed 28 more Covid-19 cases at this morning’s daily press briefing, down from 29 yesterday, bringing the national total to 2,700. An additional death brings that tally to 47. 96 more patients have recovered and been sent home, bringing the total of recoveries to 1689, or 62.5% since the outbreak began in January. There were 30 new cases…
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Phuket reports 1 new Covid-19 case (Friday)
Health officials in Phuket today reported 1 new Covid-19 case, up from yesterday’s zero cases. But still a first since the initial 5 cases were reported on March 20 after weeks of denials. This continues an encouraging downward trend: 3 cases were reported Wednesday, down from Tuesday’s 10 which was the first time new cases reached double digits since April…
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Thai airlines have their hands out for an extra 8.8 billion baht
The Cabinet approved loans totalling 16 billion bath on March 26 for 7 Thai airlines who had endured a negative impact, or a complete collapse, from the Covid-19 pandemic. Yesterday reports out of the aviation industry say that the number of airlines looking for government aid for low-interest loans is now up to 24.15 billion baht. A total of 8…
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Lifting of restrictions depends on compliance
“Decisions about any relaxation are difficult. There may first have to be a level of ongoing social distancing that people must observe.” The current national state of emergency is due to expire at the end of the month, and PM Prayut Chan-o-Cha has hinted some restrictions might be relaxed at that time, even if he extends the emergency decree. But…
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‘Smart helmets’ for Chinese epidemic prevention officers
As China shows signs of recovering from its initial Coronavirus outbreak, epidemic prevention and control officers (yeah that’s a thing now) have been equipped with futuristic “smart helmets” that can detect potential patients without officers needing to get too close. It’s a new AI approach to tracking and prevention. The smart helmet is a product developed by Kuang-chi whose company…
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Migrant workers in Thailand can now stay until November 30
Yesterday the Thai government officially announced a blanket extension for the country’s migrant labourers. They will now be permitted to stay until November 30 this year and will be exempted from any sort of overstay penalty. Government Spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat says that the government has backed the Ministry of Labour’s review of the Cabinet resolution on March 24 on the…
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Ports Authority of Thailand will offer discounts
“Not only has the number of containers handled by the port decreased, but many trips have also been cancelled,” says director-general, Kamolsak Promprayoon, The Port Authority of Thailand. The PAT board of executives has also agreed to provide assistance to carriers and shipping agents as Covid-19 has taken a heavy toll on the global sea transportation business. They are offering……
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Ex-military doctors recalled by the Royal Thai Air Force
Even though Thailand’s government has managed to decrease the number of daily infections, authorities still have a huge workload of looking out for patients and processing new arrivals at state quarantine facilities. So 50 ex-military doctors have been recalled by the Royal Thai Air Force in an “essential mission” of battling Thailand’s Covid-19 outbreak. Air force chief Air Chief Marshal Maanat Wongwat…
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2.7 billion in “cash gifts” for officials working to fight Covid-19
Government Spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul announced the Thai Cabinet has approved “cash gifts” for government officials working to fighting the Covid 19 outbreak. “The move to disburse cash gifts from the 2.7 billion baht budget was proposed by the Office of the Civil Service Commission.” Those who work in fields directly affected by the outbreak – doctors, nurses and other essential…
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Can air-con spread Covid-19?
A research letter published by Guangzhou Centres for Disease Control in China looked at 10 coronavirus cases of 3 families who ate in adjacent tables at the same time. The study proposes that droplet transmission by the restaurant’s air conditioning system was increased. The initial patient arrived from Wuhan and dined at the restaurant with 3 family members. Two other…
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Thailand’s Muslim leader issues special instructions for Ramadan 2020
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan will last from From April 24 or 25 to May 23 or 24 (depending on the lunar cycle) this year, during which time the faithful will practice fasting and take part in religious activities at mosques, residences and other designated areas. The spiritual leader of Thailand’s Muslims, the Sheikhul lslam, has issued an announcement…
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When will Thailand’s booze bans end?
Though there has been no national ban on alcohol sales, all 77 of Thailand’s provincial governors have banned booze in their efforts to slow the spread of Covid-19. Many people have now long run down their pre-ban panic-buying stash. There have also been reports of alcohol dependent residents coming to the surface seeking medical help. Bangkok and Chiang Mai both began…
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Thailand Post delivers 28 million hygienic masks nationwide
Thailand Post has successfully delivered nearly 28 million hygienic masks to the Interior and Public Health ministries over the past month. Nearly 16.8 million were sent to the Ministry of Public Health to be redistributed to provincial public health departments and 99 hospitals nationwide, while another 11 million masks were delivered to the Ministry of Interior to be distributed to 77 cities…
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Phuket reports no new Covid-19 cases (Thursday)
Health officials in Phuket today reported no new Covid-19 cases, a first since the first cases were reported on March 20 after weeks of denials. This continues an encouraging downward trend: 3 cases were reported yesterday, down from Tuesday’s 10 which was the first time new cases reached double digits since 10 were reported on April 5. 13 cases were reported…
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Travel and tourism in the Land of Smiles – 12 predictions
OPINION by Andrew Wood Casting our eyes into the crystal ball has never been so difficult with so many varied issues clouding the post-coronavirus future. For Thailand, the future of world and domestic travel has never been so critical as tourism drives much of the Thai economy. Will the tourists come back? Will they be allowed back? When? And under what…
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NBTC seeks to reduce mobile bills by 30%
Hopefully for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has been meeting with Thailand’s telecom operators in an effort to lower mobile phone service fees for users. The NBTC say the fee reduction proposal is for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers and seeks to reduce fees up to 30%. The initiative is aimed at helping people manage…
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PM says restrictions could be eased by April 30
The current national state of emergency is due to expire on April 30. While PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has hinted he might extend it, which he has the constitutional right to do (up to 90 days), he says that he’ll evaluate the Covid-19 situation in the last week of April to see if some restrictions can be lifted. The PM has…
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