covid-19
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s Ministry of Interior urges tight Covid enforcement during Songkran
The Permanent Secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Interior is calling on provincial governors to “rigidly enforce Covid-19 restrictions” during the looming Songkran annual break. The Permanent Secretary, Suthipong Julcharoe, also suggested 10 “Universal Prevention” methods. These include frequent handwashing and not touching your face, as well as vulnerable groups staying at home. Suthipong also suggested “double masking” (wearing 2 face…
- Thailand News
Starting in May, foreign arrivals to Thailand may only have to take ATK tests
Starting in May, foreign arrivals to Thailand may take antigen tests on arrival, instead of PCR tests. Thailand’s CCSA announced yesterday that it will hold off on adjusting the current entry restrictions for foreign travellers to Thailand until it can evaluate the effects of next week’s Songkran festival, as it continues monitoring the spread of Covid-19 in the country. Thailand’s…
- Economy News
Songkran: Academics predict 10 year low in festival spending this year
Thailand academics predict the public’s spending during next week’s Songkran holiday will be the lowest in 10 years. An associate professor at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said he expects people to spend around 106 billion baht altogether across Thailand this year. This will be 5.4% less than last year, when public spending was recorded at about…
- Covid-19 News
CCSA delays easing entry restrictions to Thailand… until after Songkran festival
The CCSA has announced today that they will hold off on adjusting the current entry restrictions for foreign travellers to Thailand until after next week’s Songkran festival, as they continue monitoring the spread of Covid-19 in the country. After today’s meeting, CCSA officials said they plan to adjust their measures in May, depending on the Covid situation after Thai New…
- Covid-19 News
ATK solution can cause blindness, Thailand’s fact checking centre confirms
ATK testing solution should NOT be used as eyedrops. That’s the takeaway from a warning Thai netizens are passing around, claiming that a harmful chemical compound called sodium azide found in ATK test kits could make people’s eyes go blind. The Anti-Fake News Centre of Thailand, together with the Department of Medical Science, has investigated the claim and confirmed it…
- Covid-19 News
Thursday Covid Update: 26,081 new cases; provincial totals
91 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,788 with 4,090 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 26,081 new Covid-19 cases and 26,011 recoveries. There are now 248,057 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
- Covid-19 News
Wednesday Covid Update: 24,252 new cases, provincial totals
94 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,697 with 3,999 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 24,252 new Covid-19 cases and 26,225 recoveries. There are now 248,078 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
- Thailand News
Tuesday Covid Update: 21,088 new cases; provincial totals
91 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,603 with 3,905 of those fatalities since the start of this year. The daily infection numbers are a sharp drop from the steadily rising numbers over the past 2 – 3 weeks. But the Covid-related death numbers are still on a slow rising…
- Covid-19 News
New Covid-19 variant ‘XJ’ may be in Thailand
A parcel delivery employee may have been infected with a new variant of Covid-19 not previously identified in Thailand. The XJ version is a hybrid of the BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants of the Omicron strain, which was first detected in Finland. Because the man interacted with many people every day for his job as a delivery man, health officials say…
- World News
Singapore won’t restore pandemic-era restrictions if Covid cases rise
If Covid-19 infections rise in Singapore, the city-state will not increase or strengthen current pandemic combatting measures, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong told The Straits Times. After two years of battling the spread of the virus, Singapore is on the alert for a possible rebound in infections, having lifted most of its most pandemic-era restrictions beginning April 1. Axed policies include…
- Thailand News
Monday Covid Update: 24,892 new cases; provincial totals
97 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,512 with 3,814 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 24,892 new Covid-19 cases and 27,254 recoveries. There are now 256,667 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
- Covid-19 News
There is a proper way to dispose of infectious Covid-19 waste, says PM
Face masks and ATK tests pose a risk to garbage handlers if they are not disposed of properly, says Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Bags containing infectious waste should be clearly marked so binmen and waste disposal facility staff can take the necessary precautions when disposing of the rubbish, says the PM. Waste contaminated with nasal mucus, sputum, saliva and…
- Thailand News
Tourists flood back to Thailand as travel restrictions ease before Songkran
Travellers are flooding back into Thailand after the country scrapped its pre-flight Covid PCR testing requirement. Arrivals to Suvarnabhumi International Airport have almost doubled to around 12,000 passengers per day, arriving on a flurry of new inbound flights. On Sunday afternoon, international travellers teems throughout the airport, reaching near pre-pandemic levels. They were greeted by officials and hotels reps who…
- Covid-19 News
First case of ‘XE’ Covid variant in Thailand, nothing to fear
Don’t be alarmed, it’s not so bad. That’s the gist of the message from the Public health Ministry, which dismissed fears of the new XE variant’s appearance in Thailand, as experts say the symptoms aren’t as severe as previous strains of Covid-19. On Saturday, Ramathibodi Hospital’s Centre for Medical Genomics, or CMG, revealed they’d diagnosed the first patient with the…
- Bangkok News
Business owners on Bangkok’s Khao San Road kiss goodbye their Songkran plans
Businesses on Bangkok’s popular Khao San Road are axing their Songkran celebration plans, following news that they would have to abide by several restrictions. This would include an alcohol ban, having to provide free face masks to partiers if their masks got wet, and being held responsible if partiers took off their masks. The president of the Khao San Road…
- World News
UPDATE: Malaysia-Singapore border reopens for vaccinated travellers
For the first time in two years, the land border between Singapore and Malaysia reopened yesterday, April 1, for travellers by private transportation, without the pandemic-era requirements of Covid-19 testing and quarantine. Now fully-vaccinated travellers can freely cross the land boarder on the southern end of the Malay peninsula with only a valid passport and proof of vaccination. Children up…
- Thailand Travel
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry plans to request new entry rules
If the CCSA approves it, Thailand could have new entry rules starting on May 1. The new rules the Public Health Ministry plans to request are intended to revive the country’s crippled tourism economy,. The country’s Tourism and Sports Minister has also stated that his ministry will ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to consider further easing entry rules,…
- Covid-19 News
Cheers! Chiang Mai restaurants can now serve alcohol until 11pm
Crack open a beer and don’t worry about hiding it in a paper cup. Restaurants in Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand are now permitted to serve alcoholic beverages until 11pm, according to the Chiang Mai Communicable Disease Committee. The new rule is effective from today, April 1. And no, it’s not an April Fool’s joke. Under Thailand’s colour-coded zoning…
- Covid-19 News
Test & Go travellers have trouble reporting Day 5 ATK result, here’s what to do
A number of travellers entering Thailand under the Test & Go scheme say they are having trouble reporting the results of their self-administered rapid antigen test, or ATK, which is required on Day 5. For those unable to report the results through the government’s Mor Chana application, the next best option is to take a photo of the test with…
- Covid-19 News
Friday Covid Update: 28,379 new cases; provincial totals
92 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,222 with 3,524 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 28,379 new Covid-19 cases and 23,843 recoveries. There are now 251,214 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
- Thailand News
Isaan province Surin steps back plans to declare Covid-19 an endemic
The Isaan province of Surin is stepping back on plans to be the first area in Thailand to declare Covid-19 as an endemic. The provincial government planned to announce Covid-19 as an endemic on April 1, but pushed back the plans with concerns that the infection rate could spike after Songkran, the Thai New Year. Yesterday, Surin’s official public relations…
- Thailand News
Wednesday Covid Update: 25,389 new cases; provincial totals
87 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,045 with 3,347 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 25,389 new Covid-19 cases and 26,084 recoveries. There are now 244,372 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry denies claims of short supply of anti-viral medicine for Covid patients
In response to complaints about a shortage of the anti-viral medicine Favipiravir, with hospitals running low on the primary drug in Thailand used to treat Covid-19, the Public Health Ministry has said that the country’s supply is enough to meet the local demand. Hospitals may experience a “temporary” shortage with the uptick in Covid-19 cases, according to Public Health Deputy…
- Thailand News
Tuesday Covid Update: 21,678 new cases; provincial totals
78 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 24,958 with 3,260 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 21,678 new Covid-19 cases and 27,183 recoveries. There are now 245,154 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
- Covid-19 News
Health ministry revises criteria for administration of booster vaccine doses
The Public Health Ministry has revised the formula for the administration of Covid-19 booster vaccine doses, according to a Nation Thailand report. The confirmation follows chatter on social media that the ministry had changed the criteria, prompting Thailand’s Anti-Fake News Centre to investigate and confirm it was true. According to the Nation Thailand report, the new criteria for getting a…
- Covid-19 News
Rural Doctors Society calls for government transparency on favipiravir supplies
The Rural Doctors Society has once again taken aim at the Public Health Ministry, demanding it come clean about Thailand’s supply of favipiravir. The antiviral medication is used to treat Covid-19 patients, but needs to be administered in the early stages of the illness. Posting on its Facebook page, the society claims hospitals are running out of the drug and…
- Tourism News
Tourism Council of Thailand calls for PCR testing on arrival to be dropped asap
Tourism businesses in Thailand are struggling to survive and barriers to increasing the number of foreign visitors to the kingdom must be removed immediately. That’s the view of Chamnan Srisawat from the Tourism Council of Thailand, who says the Omicron variant, coupled with Russia’s war on Ukraine, has dealt a double blow to the sector. “Tourism operators are still struggling…
- Songkran News
Anutin tells Khao San Road operators to forego Songkran water-splashing events
Business operators on Bangkok’s Khao San Road have been told they should forget about holding water-splashing events this Songkran. So says Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, ahead of a meeting of Bangkok’s communicable disease control committee today. This looks set to be the third Songkran in a row during which water splashing is banned, with the government ever-wary of triggering…
- Visa Information
Deadline to apply for “Covid” visa extension now May 24, immigration gets stricter
The deadline to apply for the 60-day “Covid” visa extension scheme has been pushed back another two months. The deadline was set for last Friday, March 25, but Thai Immigration quietly pushed the deadline back to May 24 (as they have in the past). No formal announcement was made, but a signed document was leaked by expats on social media.…
- Thailand News
Monday Covid Update: 24,635 new cases; provincial totals
81 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 24,880 with 3,182 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 24,635 new Covid-19 cases and 25,753 recoveries. There are now 250,737 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
