Coronavirus
- World News
Singapore – Hong Kong travel bubble delayed due to Covid rise in HK
Singapore and Hong Kong have agreed to delay their travel bubble plans as Hong Kong experiences a jump in Covid-19 cases. Although case numbers in both cities are nowhere near as serious as what’s currently being seen in places like Europe and the US, officials are erring on the side of caution and postponing the plan by at least 2…
- Covid-19 News
China imposes community lockdowns in 3 cities with small Covid outbreaks | VIDEO
Millions of people are now being tested in China, with new lockdowns and some districts shutting down schools. On Sunday there were 11 new cases, yesterday another 22 across the country. After a relatively low number of local transmissions for several months now, locally transmitted Covid-19 cases are popping up in 3 cities across the country – Tianjin, Shanghai and Manzhouli.…
- Thailand News
7 new imported cases of Covid in Thailand today, 0 new deaths
Today, the government is reporting 7 new imported cases of Covid, bringing the total to 3,920 in Thailand with no new deaths. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says all 6 cases were asymptomatic Thai returnees, with the other being a man from Syria. The Thai cases include a woman who returned from Germany on November 7, and tested positive…
- Covid-19 News
Burmese refugee tests positive for Covid in Tak province
A Burmese refugee in the Phop Phra district camp, of Thailand’s northern Tak province, has tested positive for Covid, joining 10 more infections that have been reported today. 48 year old refugee Soga Ne, had reportedly sneaked back into Myanmar through a natural border crossing and then returned to the camp in Thailand using the same route. Ne had been…
- World News
Trump’s son, Donald Jr, tests positive for Covid-19
The eldest son of US president, Donald Trump, has tested positive for Covid-19, an anonymous White House spokesperson has confirmed. 42 year old Donald Trump Jr. is understood to be asymptomatic and currently self-isolating, following the diagnosis earlier this week. His girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, tested positive back in July. In October, President Trump tested positive for Covid-19, as did his…
- Covid-19 News
The Thai tourism new normal, learning to live with the pandemic
OPINION by Julian Spindler Thailand’s world-class tourism industry, one of the twin drivers of our economy, is in a deep, coronavirus-induced coma, close to death. No life support is currently available. Pandemic paranoia has gripped the nation, freezing our bio-security risk management in full containment mode, meaning zero tolerance for local Covid-19 transmission. The socio-economic, and some might add political, impacts…
- World News
South Australia lockdown to end early, after man lied about how he contracted virus
A strict 6-day lockdown for South Australia will end early, as officials reveal an infected pizza parlour worker lied about how he contracted the virus. South Australia Premier, Steven Marshall, says a chef employed at a pizza business that was found to have a cluster of infections, misled officials. The worker told contact-tracers that he was a customer of the…
- Covid-19 News
Vaccine could be ready by the end of next month – BioNTech/Pfizer
BioNTech has announced the candidate Covid-19 vaccine, the German company is developing with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, could be released for public distribution before the year, at least in the US and Europe. BioNTech co-founder Ugur Sahin says that both companies plan to apply for “emergency use authorisation” of their candidate vaccine in the US today (US time), while European regulators…
- Crime News
Domestic violence on the rise amid falling incomes and rising alcohol consumption
The Thai Health Promotion Foundation says the Covid-19 pandemic may be causing a spike in domestic violence, as incomes fall, debt rises, and more people turn to alcohol. The foundation claims incidents of domestic abuse have risen by 66% since March, when Covid restrictions were introduced. The Bangkok Post reports that the biggest rise is in the south of the…
- Covid-19 News
3 new Covid-19 cases in quarantine, all asymptomatic
3 new Covid-19 cases were detected in quarantine, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. All the cases were asymptomatic. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Thailand is raised to 3,878 with 3,724 recoveries and 60 deaths. 94 people are currently receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus. A 20 year old Indian cargo ship member travelling from…
- Covid-19 News
In the middle of the Covid pandemic “now is the winter of our discontent”
In the northern hemisphere anyway, winter is on the way, a dangerous time for authorities trying to mitigate the sudden surge of new cases and deaths from Covid-19 in parts of Europe, the UK and the US. With a vaccine timeline still ‘flexible’, the only cushioning to a further spread of the pandemic is more social distancing, face-masks, attention to…
- Covid-19 News
WHO praises Thailand for being successful model of Covid containment
The director of the World Health Organisation is praising Thailand for being a successful model of Covid-19 containment. Dr. Panprapha Yongtrakul, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Health says the WHO director noted that despite Thailand having a population of 70 million with many densely populated cities, the total number of cases is less than 4,000 with only 60…
- Covid-19 News
Officials criticised over Covid border screening measures
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is being criticised over its border screening measures after an Indian man, who stayed in Thailand for 3 months, tested positive for Covid-19 in Krabi province while remaining asymptomatic. Walairat Chaifoo, director of the Epidemiology Bureau, has defended the screening measures by saying the Department of Disease Control has initiated mass tests for those “at-risk” at…
- Covid-19 News
9 new Covid-19 cases in quarantine, 2 reinfections
9 new Covid-18 cases were detected in quarantine, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. All the cases are asymptomatic and 2 cases are apparent reinfections. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases is raised to 3,861 with 3,697 recoveries with 60 deaths. 104 people are currently receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus. 3 people travelling from Switzerland tested…
- Thailand News
Flights grounded, Thai Airways pilot becomes Grab driver
Some pilots are spending more time on the ground these days due to the pandemic-induced travel restrictions. One Thai Airways pilot is using his time away from the air to get to know the traffic on the ground as a Grab driver. “The sky is closed,” pilot Mahesak Wongpa wrote on Facebook in a post sharing his story about becoming a…
- Covid-19 News
Thai health officials investigate South Korean military officer Covid-19 case
Thai health officials are trying to determine how the South Korean military officer, who tested positive for Covid-19 after returning home from Thailand’s annual Cobra Gold training, became infected with the virus. So far, it’s a mystery. Local health authorities investigating the case are asking South Korean authorities for more information about the officers whereabouts to figure where exactly the…
- Visa Information
Thailand “relaxes” visa criteria to draw in more tourists
In an effort to revive the tourism industry after a quiet 7 months without foreign tourists, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says they’ve “relaxed” the criteria for issuing tourist visas and are now allowing foreigners from countries considered a “medium risk” for spreading Covid-19 to apply for a tourist visa. Thailand will start allowing some foreigners to enter on a…
- Covid-19 News
South Korean soldier tests positive for Covid-19 after Cobra Gold training in Thailand
A South Korean soldier tested positive for Covid-19 after returning home from Thailand. The soldier was in Rayong from November 2 to 6 for Cobra Gold, Thailand’s annual military training exercise. The soldier tested positive during a mandatory screening at a South Korea airport. Thai health officials are investigating the case and are urging residents in Rayong not to panic.…
- Covid-19 News
3 new Covid-19 cases in quarantine, 1 patient with symptoms
3 new Covid-19 cases were detected in quarantine with 1 patient reporting symptoms, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Thailand is raised to 3,847 with 3,685 recoveries and 60 deaths. 102 people are currently receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus. A 40 year old Thai woman travelling from Turkey tested…
- Covid-19 News
17 people in close contact with Hungarian foreign minister test negative for Covid-19
Health officials suspect the Hungarian diplomat who tested positive for Covid-19 became infected with the virus when he picked up the Hungarian foreign minister from the airport and had lunch with him. 17 other people who came in close contact with the foreign minister during his 2-day trip to Bangkok have all tested negative. Foreign minister Peter Szijjarto made a…
- Covid-19 News
Diplomat in Thailand tests positive for Covid-19 after contact with Hungarian foreign minister
A Hungarian diplomat who resides in Thailand recently tested positive for Covid-19 in an apparent local transmission. The 53 year old diplomat had been in close contact with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto who tested positive for Covid-19 during a visit to Bangkok. Peter arrived in Bangkok on November 3 and left the following day after his diagnosis. The Centre…
- Covid-19 News
Officials urge public to stick with Covid safety measures, warning that quarantine is not a catch-all solution
The Ministry of Public Health has issued a warning that quarantine alone is not enough, as it calls on people to continue with Covid-19 safety measures such as hand washing, social distancing, and the wearing of face masks in public spaces. Top medic Sophon Iamsirithavorn says that, despite the government’s best efforts, those arriving from overseas may still slip through…
- Covid-19 News
Another bleak milestone for the US as Covid cases top 10 million
As scientists around the world cautiously welcome the positive news about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, data from worldometers.info reveals that Covid-19 cases in the US have now topped the 10 million case mark. The latest figures on Worldometers show that the US has now recorded 10,421,956 cases of the virus and 244,448 deaths, both counts being the highest in the world.…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine candidate is “strongly effective”
Pfizer is claiming that it’s current Covid-19 vaccine candidate “may be 90% effective” at preventing infection from the coronavirus. The pharmaceutical company says later this month they could be ready to file an ’emergency use’ application with US regulators. US-based Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech are claiming that their vaccine against Covid-19 was “strongly effective” and has “exceeded expectations”…
- Covid-19 News
Officials tracing 290 contacts of Krabi Covid case – 79 considered “high-risk”
Efforts are underway to trace 290 people who had contact with a Covid-19 patient in Krabi, with officials declaring 79 of them, “high-risk”. The 37 year old man, an Indian national who lives on Koh Phi Phi, tested positive for the virus while undergoing medical tests as part of a work permit application. The Bangkok Post reports that while most…
- Covid-19 News
CCSA update: 1 local Covid case detected in Krabi, another case in ASQ in Phuket
A 38 year old Dutch man has tested positive for Covid-19 in Phuket. The man was staying at an Alternative State Quarantine venue in Phuket. And an Indian restaurant worker in Krabi has also tested positive, this time a case of apparent local transmission. 10 other positive cases were detected today, including 8 people in quarantine and 2 Burmese truck…
- Tourism News
Pent-up demand for outbound Thai travel sparks new travel bubble talks
Travel bubbles are back on the table as countries in the region battle to find some safe solution to their tourist shortfall. Thailand, in particular, earns such a high proportion of its GDP from travel and tourism, that it is seeing a major financial shortfall after closing its borders. This, in the context of no new Special Tourist Visa applications…
- Chiang Mai News
Financial hardship spiking Thailand’s suicide rate
Thailand’s police and health workers continue to work with online influencers such as Drama Addict, Mam Po Dum and More Lab Panda, to help identify, and if necessary intervene, in people sharing distressing messages over their battles in the current Covid era. Police have also been recruited specialist to help to prevent suicides and provide counselling. Thailand’s Department of Mental…
- Covid-19 News
Retired Thai official with Covid-19 dies after returning to Thailand
A 66 year old retired Thai official diagnosed with Covid-19 died yesterday following his return to Thailand from the United Kingdom, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Thailand’s total number of Covid-19 related deaths is now at 60. The man flew into Thailand from the United Kingdom on October 19 and tested positive the next day while at…
- Koh Samui News
Koh Samui Covid-19 case: Recovered and released from quarantine
The 57 year old woman who recently tested positive for Covid-19 in Koh Samui has been cleared and released from quarantine. The Samui Hospital director told the Bangkok Post that the woman has fully recovered and tested negative for the virus. The woman and her family flew from Paris to Bangkok on September 30. They completed a mandatory 14 day…
