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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More time with your kids :) Government Schools to reopen July 1
Remember that New Year’s resolution you made to spend more quality time with your kids? Well, the government heard your prayers and raised you another month and a half of close and personal self quarantine time by postponing the return of the school semester to July 1. A recent notification from the Ministry of Education stated: “All public and private…
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80 Thai health workers confirmed with Covid-19 virus
A spokesman for the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin reported that the coronavirus crisis has taken a grave toll on the country’s medical staff, with 80 infected so far by the virus since January. Coronavirus among medical staff has now accounted for 3.4 % of the total 2,258 confirmed cases in Thailand. Of the 80 confirmed…
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90 day ban on transporting horses to control AHS virus outbreak
Thailand has issued an order banning the movement of all horses nationwide in an effort to stop the spread of African Horse Sickness , which has already killed more than 200 horses in the kingdom. The Ministry of Agriculture announced the order yesterday, effective for 90 days. The disease has already killed nearly 200 horses in the country. A spokesman…
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Bangkok bans booze April 10-20
All sales of alcohol will be banned in Bangkok starting tomorrow until April 20. Police made the announcement this afternoon at the Covid 19 Disease Management Centre in Bangkok. The stated reason for the ban is to encourage social distancing and stop the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. However, many netizens have already commented that it follows similar moves in…
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Thai banks cut lending rates to ease Covid-19 fallout
Today the Bank of Thailand, in a joint effort with the Financial Institutions Development Fund, eased debt repayment requirements, in bid to help people affected by the Covid-19 virus who are unable to pay monthly minimums. Kasikornbank (KBank) and Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) are also planning to reduce their prime lending rates by 40 basis points. The KBank co-president Predee Daochai…
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Covid-19 re-infection rates increase
A 38 year old woman from Chaiyaphum contracted the Covid-19 coronavirus for a second time after fully recovering from the virus last month. The woman returned from overseas in March and was found to be infected with the virus. She was admitted to Phyathai 2 Hospital in Bangkok and eventually had a complete recovery after which she returned to her…
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Thailand confirms 54 new coronavirus cases, 2 new deaths (Thursday)
A spokesman for the Health Ministry and the Covid-19 Coronavirus Situation Response Center confirmed 54 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Thailand today, less than half of yesterday’s 111. The new cases bring the total number of infections in the country to 2,423. Two additional deaths were reported as an 82 year old Thai man and a Frenchman aged…
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Phuket announces restricted travel between sub-districts from April 13
Phuket prepares to close off every sub-district on April 13, for 14 days. Phuket officials have already ordered the closure of more than 6 sub-districts includes Patong, Kathu, Rawai, Karon, Kata and Pla Klok Districts. Pakpong Thawiphat, the Phuket Governor has explained in-depth that Phuket will close all the remaining sub-districts from April 13 for 14 days. He stressed that it…
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Former deputy commerce minister faces charges over murder of Judge’s brother
Former deputy commerce minister Banyin Tangpakorn, along with 5 other suspects, is facing charges from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) relating to the killing of a senior judge’s brother. Deputy chief of the CSD Anek Taosupab, says investigators are planning to question Banyin in prison over the murder of Wirachai Sakuntaprasoet, (brother of Criminal Court senior judge Phanida Sakuntaprasoet). Banyin…
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Chamber predicts 7 million Thai people to be jobless by June
The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking have predicted that 7 million people will be jobless in Thailand by June. The dire prediction from the chairman of the JSCCIB Supant Mongkolsuthree. “Low wage workers will be affected the most by the layoffs, an estimated of 4.2 million retail and shopping mall workers will lose their jobs, along with…
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21 new coronavirus cases in Phuket, total now 161 (Thursday)
The southern province of Phuket today (Thursday) confirmed 21 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases, up from 14 yesterday. All the new cases are Thai citizens and are centred around Patong’s Bangla Road or Bang Tao. Today’s new cases bring the total in Phuket to 161 cases since the start of the outbreak in January. Phuket has become a hotbed for new…
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Cabinet approves ‘force majeure’ closure of hotels
The Cabinet has approved the ‘force majeure’ closure of hotels and any lodging businesses, with additional compensation for businesses that are under the social security scheme. There will now be compensation for employees of hotel and lodging businesses for their loss of income, either due to the government’s shutdown order or their owner’s decision to close down during the current…
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Over 100 arrested in Bangkok for illegal gambling
Too close and too many people. Over 100 have been arrested illegally gambling in a secret casino near the Nonthaburi Market. The Department of Provincial Administration raided a casino in the greater Bangkok Metro Area‘s Nonthaburi province and discovered 200,000 baht in cash, Hi-Low boards and two gaming machines, along with 108 people, some estimates as high as 122, taking…
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Police say most Chiang Mai curfew violators drunk
More than 250 people have been arrested in Chiang Mai province since the national state of emergency was enacted on April 3 to fight the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, after breaking its subsequent curfew. Police say most were drunk. Another 43 people were arrested overnight on Tuesday for violating curfew. Police report that amongst those arrested, 2 were in…
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Aviation industry estimates that 25 million jobs are in peril
Amongst industries hit during the Covid-19 situation, the aviation industry has probably been hit harder than most with huge investments, millions of staff, complicated infrastructure, small margins and thousands of down-stream businesses. It will also take a lot longer to wind the whole aviation machine back up when things eventually settle down. The International Air Transport Association estimates that some 25…
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Visa amnesty for foreigners – but conditions apply
“All foreign nationals are advised to closely monitor the Immigration Bureau’s website for updates, though the measures announced on Wednesday are valid until April 30 unless otherwise updated.” The visa amnesty has been announced, hopefully relieving some of the stress on stranded tourists and other foreigners that have ended up without flights or ways to get home. Many flights have…
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Koh Lanta restricts entry after 4 confirmed cases of Covid-19
The beautiful Koh Lanta in Krabi province is to be shut down after 4 confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection were found on the island. Today in an emergency meeting with the top executives of Krabi province, alongside 8 district sheriffs, Krabi’s governor Kitibadee Prawit, says “further measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 are being added as the 4 infected…
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Pattaya issues three month prison sentence to curfew violators
Three Thai men were caught in Pattaya yesterday evening violating the Emergency Decree curfew and sentenced to three months in prison. Pattaya City Police posted on their Thai social media channels and reminded its Thai and English audience not to go out between 10 pm and 4 am without a valid reason or face the consequences. After a rise in curfew…
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Bangkok deploys mobile testing units
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is providing testing at home for people who may have caught the coronavirus disease. City governor Aswin Kwanmuang said yesterday that the BMA, along with the Mor Lab Panda Facebook page, are sending mobile teams to conduct Covid-19 testing to the homes of people who complete an online questionnaire and are at risk. People who test…
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Phuket migrant workers permitted to return home
Some migrant workers were allowed to leave Phuket to return to their homes yesterday, as the provincial administration agreed to temporarily lift the travel ban so they could rejoin their families. One worker who hails from the nearby province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, told Thai PBS that he has been out of work for 2 months, and his family could…
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International visitor numbers down 35% January-March, exceeding worst predictions
International visitor numbers to Thailand from January to March dropped by 8.5 million, or 35.3% year-on- year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. You can be sure the specific numbers for March would have been a lot worse. The biggest decline, unsurprisingly, was in Chinese visitor numbers, which dropped by 59.4% compared to 2019, to around 2.4 million.…
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Former Deputy PM stresses need for more testing, emulating South Korean model
“Test, test, test was the former Deputy PM’s message, especially now that the country has the labs to do so.” Dr Surapong Seubwonglee, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand posted on Facebook urging the government to investigate the number of people tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus in Thailand and appeal for wider testing. He gave several reasons why testing…
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Pattaya commences ‘restricted access’ from April 9 onwards
Today, Chon Buri’s governor Pakkhathorn Thianchai has approved the Pattaya City’s proposal to restrict access to the town at 2pm from tomorrow (April 9) for 21 days. It is not a new curfew, but a limitation on people travelling in and out of the city region. Pattaya City will commence a 24 hour lock down of the city’s borders where…
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111 new Thai coronavirus cases. 3 more deaths, all foreigners
Thailand’s National Covid-19 Coronavirus Disease Management Centre has announced 111 new confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus today. Total cases now stand at 2,369 nationwide. 3 foreign men died, pushing the total death toll up to 30. 42 of today’s new cases were all returnees from a religious festival in Indonesia. The new fatalities include a 48 year old Russian man…
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Chiang Mai bans booze to battle coronavirus
There’s likely to be a rush on for booze over the next few days in Chiang Mai. The northern province is banning alcohol sales for 10 days, from April 10 – 20 in its local battle with the Covid-19 coronavirus. Provincial governor Charoenrit Sanguansat issued the order yesterday. He says the Chiang Mai Communicable Disease Committee has already issued emergency…
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Health ministry begs children to ‘save parents’ and avoid Songkran visits
Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year festival, is typically a week long celebration including a mass exodus to the provinces as dutiful children visit their homes bringing best wishes to their elders. This year’s celebrations have been postponed indefinitely to prevent that exodus, for fear of spreading the Covid-19 coronavirus to the provinces and among the elderly. Now the the Department…
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Phuket reports 14 new coronavirus cases, total now 140
Phuket has reported 14 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases today (Wednesday). The island is on virtual lockdown, especially Patong, home of the Bangla Road red light area, the flashpoint of most of the island’s infections. The new number bring the island’s infections to 140. Phuket has closed off all land and sea routes and barred entry to all but essential goods vehicles,…
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Thailand’s “Wild Boar” vows to save his province
The northern province of Lampang been hit by Covid-19, despite the best efforts of its famous governor, Narongsak Osotthanakorn. Who? Narongsak was the face of the rescue mission to retrieve the 13 young men from the Tham Luang cave two years ago and was the Chiang Rai governor at the time. “When I heard of the first Covid-19 infection in…
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Government doubles cash stimulus period for informal workers
The Thai government is doubling the period of monthly cash handouts for “informal workers,” from 3 months to 6. Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana made the announcement after yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting. The government initially only planned to provide cash to 3 million people for 3 months. The new stimulus marks a huge investment by the Thai government to keep the…
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Link between Covid-19 infections and ‘smell blindness’
The Royal College of Otolaryngologists, Head and Neck Surgeons of Thailand is alerting doctors to pay special attention to signs of anosmia (loss of smell or ‘smell blindness’) with Covid-19 patients and people who are being tested for Covid-19. Anosmia was found to be more common in patients with mild symptoms of Covid-19. The chairperson of the royal college, Professor…
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