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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Thai army puts off military purchases until coronavirus outbreak passes
The Royal Thai Army says Thailand “needs to heal” after the Coronavirus pandemic is over in the country so plans to delay purchases of military equipment in the 2020 defence budget. They say the change is in order to prioritise national recovery efforts in the wake of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. A Defence Ministry spokesman says cuts to the 2020 budget…
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Policeman nabbed with 7,500 masks and for breaking national curfew in the north-east
Police were checking cars along the Phon Thong-Kuchinarai road in Roi Et, far north-east Thailand, when a dark grey Honda sedan approached. Stopping the car for a routine inspection they found that the driver was a fellow police officer, 33 year old Police Sergeant Pitak, along with a passenger. But when officials searched the car they found 3 boxes full of…
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Did an Issan woman get coronavirus for a second time?
A 38 year old woman from Thailand’s northeastern Chaiyaphum province in the Issan region appears to have contracted the Covid-19 coronavirus for a second time, after she was ‘cured’ of the virus in Bangkok in the middle of March. The woman, who in March had only recently returned from overseas, was found to be infected with the virus and was…
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Trang province to ban entry, exit
Joining other provinces such as Pattaya and Phuket, the southern province of Trang will ban entry and exit from tomorrow until April 30. The decision was announced by the province’ Communicable Disease Committee today. No one will be allowed to enter or leave the province, except for the transport of medical personnel, goods, fuel, and parcels. It will also close most…
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Move over WHO and CDC, Marvel and DC have joined the fight in Thailand
While it may seem that a plague swept across our world with a snap of the fingers as if Thanos and the infinity gauntlet indeed managed to set asunder half the worlds population, not though a dematerialised cloud of ash (sorry for the spoilers…but come one it’s been two years now) but rather a global pandemic that has shut down…
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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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600 billion baht will be used to aid Thai farmers
Thailand’s farmers and other citizens who have been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 situation will be getting help, as the government has designated a 600 billion baht budget to help Thai people in need. The urgent budget of 600 billion baht is intended to help employers and freelancers who have been affected by the virus crisis, to support the public…
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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 rolls out mobile immigration stations
In an effort to minimise mass gatherings, the Phuket Immigration Department has deployed mobile units to provide “special services.” The units are strategically placed around the island open from from 10am to 5pm. As a reminder, an automatic amnesty on visas now applies, until April 30, with a few conditions and exceptions. Not everyone will need to seek these special…
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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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Who will receive free coronavirus testing?
Free Covid-19 coronavirus testing will be provided for 4 groups of people who are considered ‘patients under investigation’… this from the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration Thailand has vastly raised the number of centres and clinics certified to perform testing for the virus, and more are expected by the end of this month. A former deputy PM yesterday posted…
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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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BIG arrest on price gouging of Covid-19 safety gear and fake test kits
2 Chinese men identified as Chen Lei and Wein Pinpin have been arrested inside a home in Pra Khanong district, Bangkok, after officials received a tip-off that fake Covid-19 test kits were being smuggled into the country. 45,000 fake Covid-19 test kits, 350,000 medical masks, and 1,200 infrared thermometers were seized. The evidence was valued at 33,750,000 baht. These items…
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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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UPDATE: Visa amnesty signed by PM
UPDATE: PM Prayut Chan-o-cha today signed an executive order granting visa amnesty to foreigners left stranded in Thailand by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. The order, released by the Ministry of Interior, grants “special permission for some classes of aliens to stay in the Kingdom.” It was signed by Prayuth and head of the Ministry of Interior, Anupong Paochinda. ORIGINAL STORY:…
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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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Over half returning from Indonesia tested positive with Covid-19
42 of the 76 Thais who returned from Indonesia on Monday have now ended up as Covid-19 patients. Members of the Thai Islamic community travelling to Indonesia to preform “Dawah ” an Islamic missionary tradition, amidst a rise of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia, have returned with over half testing positive. After health care workers examined the returnees, 22 have been sent…
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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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