Covid-19 quarantine: 119 new infections, restrictions to be relaxed after April 1

There were 119 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday with 112 local and 7 from travellers entering Thailand, but quarantine may soon be relaxed from April 1. 26 Thai and 12 Burmese are among the 38 cases in Samut Sakhon province, the centre of the recent Covid-19 outbreak south of Bangkok.

Bangkok has another 38 local cases, 31 of which are Thai nationals, mostly from the west side of the Chao Phraya. The remaining cases are in 8 other provinces including Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani, Nontha Buri, and Ayutthaya. The 7 imported cases are in Covid-19 quarantine and came from Myanmar, Russia, Sweden, Poland, and India.

Thailand’s infections have now totalled 27,713, after about 23,000 cases from the December 15 wave. While nearly 96% recover, including 62 released from care in the past day, 1,111 people are currently hospitalised. No new loss of life has been reported and the death toll remains at 90 people, according to the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration.

The CCSA expects the 14-day Covid-19 quarantine currently in place to be slowly phased out in the coming months. A 10-day isolation period will be required for Thais and foreigners who are unvaccinated but have tested negative in the previous 72 hours. Meanwhile, those who have been vaccinated, and with all tests and jabs required, will be quarantined 1 week. These new guidelines are set to begin on April 1 and continue to September 30. More details about the relaxation of quarantine times HERE.

After October 1, Covid-19 quarantine may be eliminated if several criteria are met and there is no major resurgence of Covid 19 infections in Thailand. Vaccination targets of at-risk groups must be reached, including 70% of medical staff, and the areas must be prepared to handle the influx of low-risk traveller.

800,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine are in Bangkok now, having arrived from China yesterday, and another 1 million jabs are expected to arrive in April. The current vaccines will be given in high-risk areas and to frontline medical workers throughout Thailand, according to a Facebook post by Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Globally the Covid-19 infections have reached 122.88 million with 2.71 million resulting deaths. The US, Brazil and India have had the most cases, with over 30 million in the US, nearly 12 million in Brazil, and about 11.5 million in India. Thailand’s 90 deaths rank 115th.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post