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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  • Repatriation flights suspended after Thai staff contract Covid-19 at foreign embassies

    Repatriation flights suspended after Thai staff contract Covid-19 at foreign embassies

    Thai embassies in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been hit with outbreaks of Covid-19, affecting a number of Thai staff, according to the Foreign Ministry. The Thai embassy in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, said that a foreign employee was suffering “mild symptoms” and tested positive for Covid-19. The official was reportedly receiving medical treatment. The embassy has also suspended arrangements…

  • Global cases of Covid-19 top 20 million

    Global cases of Covid-19 top 20 million

    While Thailand has recorded no new case of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the pandemic continues to escalate around the world, with global cases of the virus now topping 20 million. The Thai government’s Covid-19 task force says confirmed cases in Thailand stand at 3,351, with 414 of those detected among people in state quarantine. Nation Thailand reports that…

  • Repatriation of Thai citizens from Bahrain suspended as embassy worker tests positive for virus

    Repatriation of Thai citizens from Bahrain suspended as embassy worker tests positive for virus

    All consular services at the Thai Embassy in Bahrain, including the repatriation of Thai citizens, have been suspended, as an official in the consular office has tested positive for Covid-19. Thailand’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Cherdkiat Atthakor, says it’s hoped services can resume at the embassy in the Bahraini capital, Manama, from August 22. The temporary measure is being implemented after…

  • Covid-19 update: 3 new imported cases, no deaths (August 9)

    Covid-19 update: 3 new imported cases, no deaths (August 9)

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 3 new cases of the coronavirus today, while the Public Health Ministry confirmed none of the concertgoers in Nakhon Si Thammarat were infected. Today marks the 76th day without a locally transmitted case in Thailand. The CCSA said 1 of the new cases is a 31 year old Bangladeshi man who tested positive…

  • Leading Thai epidemiologist warns against opening borders

    Leading Thai epidemiologist warns against opening borders

    A leading epidemiologist on the faculty of medicine at Chulalongkorn University is calling for the government to suspend any plan to allow foreign tourists for 6-18 months. Dr Thira Woratanarat, who makes daily updates on his Facebook in the Thai language and is well followed in the Thai media, has been delivering regular warnings about the risk of Covid-19 to…

  • UPDATE: Covid-19. The world about to surpass 20 million infections

    UPDATE: Covid-19. The world about to surpass 20 million infections

    Coronavirus cases around the world will pass through the 20 million milestone in the next 24 hours. Whilst the early ‘hotspots’ for Covid-19 were China, Spain, UK and Italy, over the past month the largest growth in cases, per capita, has been the US, most South American countries, South Africa, India, and locally, Philippines and Indonesia. As of today there…

  • Covid-19 update: 3 new imported cases, no new deaths (August 8)

    Covid-19 update: 3 new imported cases, no new deaths (August 8)

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 3 new Covid-19 cases today. All are Thai nationals, 2 recently repatriated from Saudi Arabia and 1 from Indonesia, bringing the total to 3,348. The death toll remained unchanged at 58. Today marks 75 days without a locally transmitted case being identified in Thailand. 2 of the new cases are students, both 24,…

  • US soldiers, concertgoers all test negative for Covid-19

    US soldiers, concertgoers all test negative for Covid-19

    All 110 US soldiers visiting Bangkok for upcoming joint military exercises have tested negative for Covid-19. Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says all are staying at alternative state quarantine locations and are strictly prohibited from leaving their rooms or interacting with the general public. The soldiers’ arrival caused concern and discussion on social media,…

  • COVID-19 update: 2 new cases found in state quarantine, no new deaths (August 6)

    COVID-19 update: 2 new cases found in state quarantine, no new deaths (August 6)

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration this morning reported 2 new cases of Covid-19, both returnees from the US, bringing the national total of confirmed cases to 3,330 since the outbreak began in January. A CCSA spokeman said the new patients are a 42 year old man aged 42 and a woman, aged 62, both Thai nationals. They arrived on…

  • No current plans to extend list of foreigners allowed back into Thailand

    No current plans to extend list of foreigners allowed back into Thailand

    There is no immediate plan to extend the list of foreigners being allowed to come to Thailand at the moment. Specifically still excluded are retirees with valid visas, homes and families in Thailand. The directive comes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since Thailand’s experience with Covid-19, it has closed its borders to tourists and visitors, stranding both Thais and…

  • Tourism sector pin hopes on “Safe and Sealed” scheme to lure international visitors

    Tourism sector pin hopes on “Safe and Sealed” scheme to lure international visitors

    In the latest plan to bolster Thailand’s withering tourism industry, business operators are proposing a new inbound tourism plan called “Safe and Sealed”, to replace the delayed “travel bubbles” scheme and prevent Thailand realising the worst-case revenue scenario of only 675 billion baht next year, down from 3 trillion in 2019. At a joint meeting yesterday of the Tourism and…

  • Senator questions the admission of US troops during state of emergency

    Senator questions the admission of US troops during state of emergency

    A Thai senator is questioning the need for US troops to participate in joint exercises with their Thai counterparts while a state of emergency is still in place in the country. The emergency decree was extended for the third time at the end of July and is now set to expire at the end of this month. Senator Kamnoon Sidhisamarn…

  • 11 groups of people allowed to fly into Thailand, as of today

    11 groups of people allowed to fly into Thailand, as of today

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand have issued the “Notification on Conditions for Aircraft Permitted to Enter Thailand Version 3. UPDATE: The CAAT has listed 11 groups of Thai and non-Thai nationals (foreigners) permitted to enter Thailand. The groups consist of the following… (1) Thai nationals. (2) Persons with an exemption or persons being…

  • New categories of foreigners allowed back into Thailand from tomorrow

    New categories of foreigners allowed back into Thailand from tomorrow

    Today Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, has clarified that more types of foreigners will be allowed to return to Thailand from August 4… • Foreigners who hold a residency permit, as well as their spouse and children (new category) • Foreigners who hold a current work permit, as well as their spouse and children…

  • Phuket may be chosen as test case in phased re-opening to foreign tourists

    Phuket may be chosen as test case in phased re-opening to foreign tourists

    As the Tourism Authority of Thailand considers how the country might safely re-open its borders, the Bangkok Post reports that there are tentative plans afoot to kick off the project with Phuket, possibly in October. The director-general of the Department of Health, Panpimon Wipulakorn, says Phuket’s position as a self-contained island means it would be easier to control any potential…

  • City of Melbourne wakes to first day of 6 week lockdown and curfew

    City of Melbourne wakes to first day of 6 week lockdown and curfew

    Australia’s southern state of Victoria is now under a state of emergency and a state of disaster. The state government have given police greater powers to help enforce the latest restrictions in a draconian bid to reduce the community transmission of Covid-19. The capital of Melbourne is now in a 6 week lockdown to tackle the latest spike in virus…

  • State schools told not to fully re-open until the CCSA gives permission

    State schools told not to fully re-open until the CCSA gives permission

    The Office of Basic Education Commission has ordered public schools to wait for a formal approval from the CCSA (Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration) before re-establishing their full timetable. Since schools reopened at the start of July, schools with large classes of students have been required to split upinto two groups, operating on an odd/even basis with half the class…

  • “Thailand’s economy will take 2-3 years to recover” – Krungthai

    “Thailand’s economy will take 2-3 years to recover” – Krungthai

    Across the world the hopes of a quick recovery in countries’ economies evaporate as the effects of either the coronavirus, or the effects of the lockdowns, drag on. Even though Thailand has effectively contained Covid-19 at this stage with zero local transmissions for over 2 months, the economy is now stumbling with many businesses shuttered and no tourists coming into…

  • South Korean cult leader arrested for hiding Covid-19 data, embezzlement

    South Korean cult leader arrested for hiding Covid-19 data, embezzlement

    Authorities in South Korea this morning arrested the founder of a secretive Christian sect at the centre of the country’s largest outbreak of Covid-19 infections for allegedly concealing crucial data from contact-tracers, and other offences. Police nabbed Lee Man-hee, the powerful head of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is linked to more than 5,200 coronavirus infections, or about 36%…

  • Covid-19 update: 6 new imported cases, deaths still at 58 (July 31)

    Covid-19 update: 6 new imported cases, deaths still at 58 (July 31)

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 6 new cases of Covid-19 among returnees from Egypt and the Netherlands, lifting the national total to 3,310 since the outbreak began in January. Spokesman Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin announced the new figure at this morning’s daily press briefing. Taweesilp said 5 of the new patients recently returned from Egypt; 4 are male students,…

  • Banks get tough on loan criteria as economic effects of Covid-19 worsen

    Banks get tough on loan criteria as economic effects of Covid-19 worsen

    The Covid-19 crisis has had a devastating effect on the global economy and, while it may have been successful in suppressing the virus, Thailand is in no way immune to the economic fallout. A report in Nation Thailand today says the country’s banks are now clamping down on their lending, imposing stricter criteria on borrowing. PHOTO: Nation Thailand The Bank…

  • Europe bans US travellers for 2nd time in a month

    Europe bans US travellers for 2nd time in a month

    The EU extended its travel ban on Americans yesterday for the second time in a month, as Covid-19 continues to ravage the US. The EU began lifting its travel restrictions on July 1, welcoming visitors from 14 countries, including Canada, South Korea and Australia. The US was left off of that list, and the EU extended its ban on travellers…

  • Heart damage in Covid-19 patients found months after recovery – Study

    Heart damage in Covid-19 patients found months after recovery – Study

    New medical reports are showing that Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is having lasting impact on the heart of some patients. The report confirms the fears of cardiologists who have been concerned about potential long-term heart injury from the coronavirus. Two German studies, published this week in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA Cardiology, indicated heart “abnormalities” in Covid-19 patients months after they had…

  • Health officials highlight “second wave” risk posed by migrant workers

    Health officials highlight “second wave” risk posed by migrant workers

    Following on the Thai government’s announcement that it will grant entry to several other categories of foreigners, the Public Health Ministry is highlighting the risk posed by migrant workers, in particular those entering the country illegally. The government is preparing special “migrant quarantine” facilities to house labourers coming in from neighbouring countries. However, the deputy director-general of the Disease Control…

  • 1 new case of Covid-19 reported as a soldier in state quarantine – July 29

    1 new case of Covid-19 reported as a soldier in state quarantine – July 29

    One new case of Covid-19 cases confirmed by the government today, as another soldier who was quarantined after returning from a military exercise in Hawaii. Read more on the original story, HERE. Deputy general manager of the Department of Disease Control, says the man arrived on July 22, and was quarantined in the province of Chon Buri. He screened positively…

  • Thailand ranks #1 for handling Covid-19 crisis

    Thailand ranks #1 for handling Covid-19 crisis

    A global survey released yesterday gave Thailand top marks for its effective handling of Covid-19 and its recovery from the coronavirus crisis. The nation scored 82 on the Global Covid-19 Index, putting it on top of the global chart as an example of best practices in tackling the virus sweeping the globe. In the previous ranking published June 14, Thailand…

  • Covid-19 found in 3 Thai monks at Las Vegas temple

    Covid-19 found in 3 Thai monks at Las Vegas temple

    The Royal Thai consulate-general in Los Angeles confirmed yesterday that 3 Thai Buddhist monks at a temple in Las Vegas have contracted Covid-19. “The temple has 5 monks, who were tested for Covid-19 on July 13. The test results showed 3 have the virus. 2 monks were rushed to the hospital in critical condition and have been on respirators since,…

  • Officials declare Rayong “Covid-free”, plan to revive domestic tourism

    Officials declare Rayong “Covid-free”, plan to revive domestic tourism

    After the fallout from an Egyptian soldier testing positive for Covid-19 while visiting Rayong, in eastern Thailand, the province is sending out the message that it’s safe to visit once more. Rayong has now gone over 2 weeks with no new case of the virus, with Governor Surasak Charoensirichot confirming over 6,900 residents have tested negative. Chayut Chaitrakulthong, Chairman of…

  • All foreigners will have to serve 14 day quarantine “in the foreseeable future” – Minister

    All foreigners will have to serve 14 day quarantine “in the foreseeable future” – Minister

    Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, Pipat Ratchakitprakan, is reassuring Thais by explaining that all foreigners, regardless of their status or origins, will have to serve a mandatory 14 day quarantine, at least “in the foreseeable future”. Thailand officials are currently prepares phase six of the re-opening of the country, loosening the restrictions imposed in April when the country closed…

  • Bangkok restaurant refusal to serve foreigners goes viral – VIDEO

    Bangkok restaurant refusal to serve foreigners goes viral – VIDEO

    The Fullmoon Terrace and Bar, in Lat Phrao in the north east suburbs of Bangkok, is refusing to serve foreigners. It’s not a good look, especially when there have been no locally-transmitted cases of Covid-19 for over 2 months and the man was wearing a mask and being quite pleasant about the whole matter. The Thaiger wouldn’t have been as…