covid-19

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya’s homeless population seeks refuge in abandoned bars

    Pattaya’s homeless population seeks refuge in abandoned bars

    Despite the easing of nearly all restrictions imposed to suppress the Covid-19 virus, Thailand’s people are still very much feeling the lingering effect of the shutdown. An ongoing ban on nearly all international arrivals has crippled the tourism industry, meaning many nightlife venues in places like Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket remain shut. A report in The Pattaya News shows the…

  • Covid-19 NewsThai government pleased with ongoing suppression of Covid-19 despite nightlife re-opening

    Thai government pleased with ongoing suppression of Covid-19 despite nightlife re-opening

    The spokesman for Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin, says that despite his initial concerns, there has been no new spike in virus cases following the re-opening of the country’s nightlife. While discussing phase 5 of the easing of Covid restrictions, Dr. Taweesin admits that many medical experts, including himself, had been uneasy about the move. However,…

  • World NewsFloods ravage north-eastern India and southern Nepal

    Floods ravage north-eastern India and southern Nepal

    Heavy rain lashing India’s northeast is triggering severe flooding and landslides. So far the death toll is up to 221 but is expected to rise. Over 4 million people have been displaced by the floods in the northeastern state of Assam. Parts of southern Nepal and Bangladesh are also being deluged. More than a million people have already moved to relief…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid-19 update: 3 new cases found in state quarantine, no new deaths (July 19)

    Covid-19 update: 3 new cases found in state quarantine, no new deaths (July 19)

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced today that it discovered 3 new cases of Covid-19 in the previous 24 hours, all in state quarantine. It was the 57th day without a domestically transmitted case since May. The new cases bring the total number of cases up to 3,249 since January, when the outbreak began. There were no new fatalities,…

  • Covid-19 NewsVictoria’s capital, Melbourne, records 580 Covid-19 cases in past two days

    Victoria’s capital, Melbourne, records 580 Covid-19 cases in past two days

    Australia’s second biggest city, Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, has reported 363 new cases of Covid-19, after 217 cases were recorded yesterday. The recent spike in cases follows almost 2 and a half months of single-digit daily cases. The outbreak has been caused by inbound citizens, returning from overseas and defying quarantine regulations. Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that…

  • Thailand NewsNSC chief says recent virus cases won’t be used as excuse to extend Emergency Decree

    NSC chief says recent virus cases won’t be used as excuse to extend Emergency Decree

    Thailand’s National Security Council has announced it won’t use 2 recent Covid-19 incidents, in which VIPs were exempted from testing and quarantine only to later be found infected, to extend the Emergency Decree. A national state of emergency was declared on March 24 and enforced days later. Under the current Thai constitution, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has the authority to extend…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid-19 update: 7 new cases found in quarantine (July 18)

    Covid-19 update: 7 new cases found in quarantine (July 18)

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 7 new cases today, the biggest increase over a 24 hour period in weeks. All the new patients returned from foreign countries and were diagnosed in state quarantine facilities. 2 had returned from the US, 1 from Bahrain and 3 from Egypt. Thailand has gone 56 days without a domestically transmitted case of…

  • World NewsPhilippines, Singapore and Indonesia battling new Covid-19 cases in SE Asia

    Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia battling new Covid-19 cases in SE Asia

    Indonesia, The Philippines and Singapore are leading the way in South East Asia, contributing the most number of new cases of the coronavirus in the past week (worldometers.info). In the past 24 hours The Philippines (1,841), Indonesia (1,462) and Singapore (327) have added the highest number of new Covid-19 cases in the ASEAN region. In The Philippines the numbers have…

  • Covid-19 NewsResearch institute says Covid vaccine will bring tourists back

    Research institute says Covid vaccine will bring tourists back

    As Thailand’s economy remains the hardest hit in Asia, a new prediction slates the end of 2021 as the saviour in terms of tourists coming back. The Thailand Development Research Institute says.. “once a vaccine is rolled out late next year, the tourists will once again return to the kingdom”. Kirida Bhaopichitr, the Institute’s research director said that most visitors…

  • World NewsHong Kong Disneyland closes the gates, again

    Hong Kong Disneyland closes the gates, again

    Whilst Disney World theme parks in Florida reopened to the public this week, after being closed for four months because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Hong Kong Disney theme franchise closed up again. Less than a month since it reopened Hong Kong Disneyland shutdown following a new coronavirus outbreak in the city. The theme park shuttered at the end of January…

  • Covid-19 NewsEveryone tested for Covid-19 in Rayong, Bangkok negative

    Everyone tested for Covid-19 in Rayong, Bangkok negative

    The Department of Disease Control has announced the results of Covid-19 testing among 1,603 high-risk people involved in the incidents of an Egyptian military crew member (in Rayong) and a 9 year old girl from Sudan (in Bangkok). The results in Rayong province show that all of 1,336 people tested are negative, while in Bangkok, all 267 tested in a…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand to allow medical tourism within 2 weeks

    Thailand to allow medical tourism within 2 weeks

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced today that Thailand’s medical tourism and wellness programs will go ahead despite the controversy swirling around 2 Covid-19 cases this week – in Bangkok and in Rayong. CCSA spokesman Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin says the Ministry of Public Health will announce a list of hospitals that pass its criteria next week, and the first…

  • Politics NewsRayong protesters arrested ahead of Thai PM’s visit – VIDEO

    Rayong protesters arrested ahead of Thai PM’s visit – VIDEO

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s visit to Rayong yesterday was marred by drama as 2 protesters were forcibly removed and taken into custody after raising signs condemning him just minutes before his motorcade arrived. The signs, expressing fury over the government’s recent mishandling of an imported case of Covid-19, read… “If you stay longer, the country will be in ruins. Get out,…

  • Covid-19 NewsCCSA quashes reports of a new Covid-19 case in Bangkok

    CCSA quashes reports of a new Covid-19 case in Bangkok

    The chief of Thailand’s Disease Control Department is quashing Thai media reports of a south-west Bangkok resident being found to be infected locally with Covid-19. A media conference was hastily convened this morning to clarify the reports in some Thai media overnight. A CCSA spokesperson reported that a hospital in Raj Burana, a district on the west banks of the…

  • Covid-19 NewsEgyptian Covid case: Government says 11 “high-risk” people have tested negative

    Egyptian Covid case: Government says 11 “high-risk” people have tested negative

    The government’s Covid-19 task force says 11 “high risk” people, who had contact with an Egyptian soldier who was found to be infected with the virus, have tested negative. This includes staff at the hotel where the man stayed, as well as drivers who transported him and his colleagues around Rayong. A total of 1,603 people have now been cleared…

  • Covid-19 NewsNearly all Rayong schools close “as a precaution” amid Covid-19 scare

    Nearly all Rayong schools close “as a precaution” amid Covid-19 scare

    274 schools in Rayong have closed, following revelations that some teachers visited venues that had also been visited by an Egyptian soldier, and members of his air crew. One of the soldiers was found to be infected with the Covid-19 virus after he had left the country and flown back to Egypt. The Thai Education Ministry says classes will now take…

  • Covid-19 NewsPM asks reporters to “ease off” on new Covid-19 stories

    PM asks reporters to “ease off” on new Covid-19 stories

    With the nation rattled by news of 2 new Covid-19 infections among “VIPs” who were exempted from testing when they arrived in the country – one an Egyptian soldier, the other the 9 year old daughter of a Sudanese diplomat – PM Prayut Chan-o-cha asked reporters today to make their reports on the new cases “less scary”. He said the…

  • Covid-19 News9 returning Thais rushed to hospital with high fevers after arriving at BKK

    9 returning Thais rushed to hospital with high fevers after arriving at BKK

    The deputy director of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport says 9 Thai nationals, returning from Jordan and South Korea, have been diagnosed with “high fevers” and rushed to hospital. The first 8 were part of a group of 120 who touched down on a Royal Jordanian flight yesterday afternoon. “Preliminary screenings found that 8 passengers had high fevers and were rushed to…

  • Covid-19 NewsRayong governor transferred, hundreds tested, amid Egyptian soldier Covid mess

    Rayong governor transferred, hundreds tested, amid Egyptian soldier Covid mess

    Locals in the eastern province of Rayong, are lining up to be tested for the Covid-19 virus, following the news that a visiting Egyptian airman tested positive after being exempted from quarantine. The PM has already apologised for the mess and promised a review into the rules that meant none of the visiting aircrew had to fulfil the mandatory quarantine…

  • Covid-19 NewsPM apologises, promises review of “VIP” loopholes amid foreign Covid cases

    PM apologises, promises review of “VIP” loopholes amid foreign Covid cases

    Following an Egyptian soldier and Sudanese child both testing positive for the Covid-19 virus in Thailand, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has apologised and promised a review of the rules that exempted both foreigners from quarantine. An Egyptian aircrewman tested positive after visiting Rayong, in the east of the country, while the 9 year old daughter of a Sudanese diplomat has tested…

  • Covid-19 NewsMore details emerge about the movements of the Sudanese family

    More details emerge about the movements of the Sudanese family

    This is an official explanation of the circumstances of the Sudanese 9 year old who has tested positive for Covid-19 and was residing in central Bangkok in Sukhumvit. There have been some other publications providing additional information about alleged movements of the family during the time before the girl was admitted to hospital, but The Thaiger is unable to verify…

  • Covid-19 News400 people in Rayong being traced, schools closed down, Government apologises

    400 people in Rayong being traced, schools closed down, Government apologises

    “We apologise for what happened. We will take it as a lesson.” At a packed media conference this morning the CCSA has announced that an Egyptian pilot, testing positive for Covid-19, along with “9 colleagues” visited at least 2 shopping malls in the Rayong province. Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin says the infected airmen, along with 9 others members of the crew,…

  • Covid-19 NewsDaughter of Sudanese diplomat tests positive for Covid-19 in Bangkok

    Daughter of Sudanese diplomat tests positive for Covid-19 in Bangkok

    The Government’s Covid-19 task force says a 9 year old Sudanese girl who has tested positive for the virus is undergoing treatment in a Bangkok hospital. It’s understood the child is the daughter of a diplomat and was self-isolating with her family at a condominium in the capital after arriving in Thailand. Thai media have been camped outside the diplomat’s…

  • Covid-19 News“Let us stay – Why can’t Thai Immigration extend our visas?”

    “Let us stay – Why can’t Thai Immigration extend our visas?”

    OPINION The current visa amnesty, and what will happen to foreigners after its conclusion (at this stage on July 31), is a constant source of confusion and stress for many foreigners. Some were truly stranded in the Kingdom when the borders were closed and flights become limited for a return to their home countries. Others decided to stay in the…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid task force to hold press conference as Egyptian soldier tests positive

    Covid task force to hold press conference as Egyptian soldier tests positive

    As a visiting Egyptian soldier tests positive for the Covid-19 virus, the blame game is well underway, with the Thai army, local hotels, and airport personnel all ducking for cover. The 43 year old unnamed Egyptian air crew tested positive while staying in Rayong, on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand. In response, the government says the Centre…

  • Covid-19 NewsEgyptian air crew were permitted to visit venues in Rayong

    Egyptian air crew were permitted to visit venues in Rayong

    The Egyptian soldier, who has been found to have tested positive for Covid-19, was part of an air crew who had special dispensation from the Emergency Decree provisions regarding the coronavirus. The crew, spending one night in Rayong on their way back to Egypt from China, were permitted to leave their quarantine facility and wander around venues in Rayong. The…

  • World NewsChinese professor freed after criticisms of president landed him in 6 day detention

    Chinese professor freed after criticisms of president landed him in 6 day detention

    A Chinese professor, who criticised President Xi Jinping’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, has been reportedly freed after spending 6 days in detention. Xu Zhangrun, a law professor at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, was reportedly taken by a group of more than 20 people from his home after publishing an essay overseas that claimed the Chinese president was “destroying the structure…

  • Covid-19 NewsUS man dies from Covid-19 after attending ‘coronavirus party’

    US man dies from Covid-19 after attending ‘coronavirus party’

    “They don’t look really sick. But when you check their oxygen levels and their lab tests, they’re really sicker than they appear.” A 30 year old American has died from the coronavirus after attending a “Covid-19” party in the state of Texas that was hosted by an infected person. Jane Appleby, chief medical officer at the Methodist Hospital in San…

  • Covid-19 NewsHuman trials of locally made Covid-19 vaccine to begin in October

    Human trials of locally made Covid-19 vaccine to begin in October

    Surpassing earlier predictions that human trials of a locally manufactured Covid-19 vaccine could begin as early as the end of the year, Thailand will conduct the first human trials of its vaccine candidate in October, after trials on monkeys produced satisfactory results, with high level of immunity being detected in the animals. The minister for higher education, science, research and…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid-19 UPDATE: All the latest news from the world – July 12

    Covid-19 UPDATE: All the latest news from the world – July 12

    Today the total number of Covid-19 patients in the world has reached 12,847,288 with 567,734 people dying due to the effects of the virus. 7,483,246 people are registered as ‘recovered’ from their bout of Covid-19. The numbers of new cases, worldwide, is accelerating. The current hotspots are the US, Brazil, India, South Africa and Mexico – presenting with the highest…