Phuket declares ‘lockdown’ of all but essential services

There will be no lockdown in Chiang Mai after the recent Covid-19 case where a woman tested positive for a local hospital after returning from Myanmar. Director general of the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Disease Control, Opas Karnkawinpong, says the locals in Chiang Mai are taking health precautions and he doubts the case will cause an outbreak.

“Widespread Covid-19 transmission is unlikely because people in Chiang Mai are still predominantly wearing masks on a daily basis. The ministry will continue monitoring the situation for a further 14 days.”

Tourist destinations, like Chiang Mai, have taken a beating since international travel restrictions were put in place in late-March. The province now relies on domestic tourism for income and the Bangkok Post says Opas’s statements were made to allay fears of an outbreak.

The 29 year old Thai woman tested positive for Covid-19 during a visit to a Chiang Mai hospital where she reported flu-like symptoms. The woman had worked at a bar in Myanmar and is feared to be a “super spreader.” 2 other women who worked at the same bar tested positive for Covid-19 in Chiang Rai after returning from Myanmar.

On November 23, while still in Myanmar, the original patient developed a fever, watery diarrhea and lost her sense of smell. The next day, while she still had a fever, she travelled by public van and entered Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district. Reports say she was somehow able to evade the mandatory quarantine. She then caught a bus to Chiang Mai.

In Chiang Mai, the woman visited friends and went to a mall where she shopped, had meals and watched a movie. On November 26, she went to the hospital and was tested for Covid-19. Authorities say she came in close contact with 328 people, 107 of them were considered at high risk, but Opas is asking people to remain calm and not to overreact.

“The ministry has been testing all those who came into contact with the patient and there has yet to be a positive result”

For the related cases in Chiang Rai, Opas says they are not as worried about a potential outbreak because the women, ages 23 and 26, apparently did not go out in public. After hearing about her colleague’s case, the 26 year old decided to get tested for the coronavirus. Only 4 people in close contact with the 2 women are considered to be at a high risk while 22 people are asked to take precautions and monitor their health.

The recent local Covid-19 cases and the rising number of infections in Myanmar have prompted Thai officials to tighten security along the Thai-Myanmar border. The Chiang Rai governor Prachon Pratsakul says many Thais working in the neighbouring country are returning with the virus to get treated in Thailand.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

Catch up with the latest daily “Thailand News Today” here on The Thaiger.

The discovery that 3 Thai nationals infected with Covid-19 returned from Myanmar and bypassed health checks and quarantine, has officials in Phuket on high alert. Over the weekend, it was discovered that a 29 year old Thai woman had illegally crossed from Myanmar and subsequently tested positive for Covid-19 after admitting herself to a Chiang Mai hospital. 2 other women who worked with her have also tested positive for the virus.

Phuket’s deputy governor, Pichet Panapong, says news of the 3 infected Thai women who managed to enter Thailand without undergoing any health checks or mandatory quarantine, has officials on the southern island worried. He adds that local authorities are monitoring Burmese workers, calling on them to follow disease control measures if returning to Phuket from Myanmar. (It would appear he missed the bit about the 3 infected women being Thai, not Burmese)

In a report in the Bangkok Post, Pichet says officials are considering setting up a quarantine facility for any migrant workers already in Phuket illegally, adding that of the 59,900 registered migrant workers on the island, 80% are Burmese. The Thailand/Myanmar border is longer than 2,000 kilometres with hundreds of official and “natural” border crossings.

“People can also act as eyes and ears for the authorities. If they find something suspicious in their communities, they should alert immigration police or local police.”

Phuket has 21 alternative quarantine properties, offering over 2,500 rooms in total, but arrival numbers are low. It’s understood that only 11 people have applied to enter Phuket in the period December 4 – 12, and so far, only a single application has been received for January. There are currently 726 people in local quarantine, 20 in alternative local quarantine, and 4 people carrying out yacht quarantine. Since Phuket agreed to receive foreign-registered yachts, 6 vessels have entered its waters, with all passengers and crew carrying out quarantine on board, 6 kilometres from shore.

Pichet says that, at a meeting of the communicable disease control committee, the Thai Yachting Business Association submitted a proposal to manage cruise ships, and officials have also received a request to extend the opening hours of shopping malls over the New Year holiday.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

19 new Covid-19 cases were detected in quarantine with 2 apparent reinfections, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases is raised to 3,998 with 3,803 recoveries and 60 deaths. 135 people are currently receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus.

• A 20 year old Thai woman travelling from Switzerland tested positive for Covid-19. She arrived on November 22 and tested positive 5 days later at a quarantine hotel in Bangkok. She was first infected with the coronavirus on November 11.
• A 20 year old Thai man travelling from the United States tested positive for Covid-19. He arrived on November 22 and tested positive 5 days later. He was first infected with the coronavirus on November 4.
• A 35 year old Thai man travelling from India with a layover in the United Arab Emirates tested positive for Covid-19. He arrived on November 15 and tested positive 8 days later while at a quarantine hotel in Bangkok.
• A 39 year old Thai woman travelling from Italy with a layover in Qatar tested positive for Covid-19. She arrived on November 21 and tested positive a week later at a state quarantine facility in Chon Buri.
• 2 Thai women, ages 55 and 42, travelling from Germany tested positive for Covid-19. They both tested positive on November 26 after checking into quarantine facilities in Bangkok and Samut Prakan.
• 2 Thai women, ages 18 and 30, travelling from Switzerland tested positive for Covid-19. They arrived on November 22 and tested positive 5 days later while at an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok.
• 4 people travelling from Japan, a 57 year old Japanese man and 3 Thai women ages 21, 25 and 27, tested positive for Covid-19. They arrived on November 22. The women checked into a quarantine hotel in Chon Buri and the man checked into a quarantine hotel in Bangkok. They tested positive on November 27 and 28.
• A 69 year old French man arrived in Bangkok on November 23 and tested positive for the coronavirus 3 days later at a quarantine hotel.
• An 18 year old Thai student travelling from the United Kingdom tested positive for Covid-19. He arrived on November 23 and tested positive 5 days later while at a quarantine hotel in Chon Buri.
• A 33 year old Thai national and 31 year old Russian man travelling from Russia tested positive for Covid-19. They arrived on November 23 and tested positive 4 and 5 days.
• A 60 year old Thai woman travelling from Denmark tested positive for Covid-19. She arrived on November 23 and tested positive 5 days later while at a quarantine hotel in Chon Buri.
• A 39 year old medical tourist travelling from Oman tested positive for Covid-19. He arrived on November 26 and tested positive upon checking into an alternative hospital quarantine in Chon Buri.
• A 38 year old Thai woman travelling from the Netherlands tested positive for Covid-19 at a screening checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi Airport on November 28.

Daily new Covid-19 cases in Thailand as of November 29, according to Worldometers.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand