covid-19

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Covid latest, Cockfights closed down, Bryde’s Whale beached | January 11

    249 new Covid-19 infections have been reported today in the daily briefing. Thailand now has 3,914 active cases and has reported a total of 10,547 cases with 67 fatalities since last year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesperson, apparently with a Covid crystal ball, speculated that the number of daily new cases is expected to decrease and significantly slow…

  • Thailand News

    Thai labour market bounces back despite the pandemic

    Despite Covid-19 pandemic’s negative impact on the economy with numerous layoffs and business closures, the Thai labour market survived and is experiencing an unemployment rate that is lower than expected, according to the Deputy Chairman of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, Chalee Loysoong. While the unemployment rate is lower than expected at 2% or 700,000 individuals, Thammasat University associate professor…

  • Phuket News

    Can Phuket survive? Interview with Bill Barnett | VIDEO

    Interview with Bill Barnett from c9Hotelworks. Phuket has now been hit with a 3rd major crisis, each one more profound than the long-term effects from the 2004 tsunami. Now the island has new restrictions imposed on arrivals on the southern island, imposed by the Phuket Provincial Authority.

  • Covid-19 News

    Phuket is hit with a triple Covid crisis | VIDEO

    Phuket has had a triple hit over the past 12 months. Firstly with the original Covid-19 outbreak and lockdowns back in April and May in 2020, then again just before Christmas and New Year when the new clusters emerged in Samut Sakhon and the eastern coastal provinces, further dampening even local traveller traffic to the island, then some further restrictions…

  • Covid-19 News

    CCSA Update: 249 new Covid-19 cases, outbreak expected to subside by the end of the month

    249 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 3,914 active cases and has reported a total of 10,547 cases with 67 fatalities since last year. The number of daily new cases is expected to decrease and significantly slow down by the end of the month, according to Ministry of…

  • Covid-19 News

    Hundreds recover from Covid-19, released from Samut Sakhon field hospital

    Nearly 300 Burmese migrants in Samut Sakhon have recovered from Covid-19 and have been released from a field hospital set up at a sports stadium while another 300 people are expected to be discharged from the field hospital today. The released migrants were sent back to the Central Shrimp Market in the Mahachai area fishing hub where they live and…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thai Red Cross Society calls for urgent blood donations, reserves run critically low

    The Thai Red Cross is urging people to donate blood as Thailand hospitals are in “critical condition.” Blood reserves have run low and the number of blood donors has dropped by 50%, according to the Thai Red Cross Society. The Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to the dwindling blood supply. Many people are worried about Covid-19 and less likely to donate blood,…

  • Covid-19 News

    CCSA says they won’t deny lawbreakers free Covid-19 treatment

    Labour trafficking, illegal border crossings and gambling are considered to be prime factors in the new wave of Covid-19. Recently, the public health minister toyed with the idea of making the lawbreakers and illegal returnees, who are infected with the coronavirus, pay for their own medical treatment. The idea was shot down by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration who…

  • Thailand News

    Public Health Ministry speculates new infections likely to slow by end of January

    Thailand’s Public Health Ministry speculates that the 2nd wave of Covid-19 infections is likely to “slow down” by the end of this month. However, Dr. Opas Kankawinpong, the director-general of the Disease Control Department is warning that the virus could spread in office buildings and congested areas after such infections has been detected found in a few Bangkok offices. “We…

  • Thailand News

    Travel documents now required for 5 provinces hit hardest by Covid

    Travel documents are now being required for anyone travelling in and out of 5 central and eastern provinces in Thailand, the worst hit by the 2nd outbreak of Covid-19 around the country. The documents will need to state the reason for travel in the provinces of Samut Sakhon, Rayong, Chon Buri, Trat and Chanthaburi… all coded as red zones where…

  • Thailand News

    Domestic air travel drops 60 percent at start of 2021

    Thailand’s domestic air travel is seeing a 60% drop in the early weeks of the new year, thanks to the recent Covid-19 outbreaks around the country. The Department of Airports drew the figure from 20 airports under its supervison nationwide, according to Apirat Chaiwongnoi, the acting Director-General of the department. Such domestic passengers at those airports also dropped in numbers…

  • Crime News

    16 foreigners, 5 Thais arrested in Pattaya for illegal gambling

    Pattaya police have arrested 16 foreigners and 5 Thais for illegal gambling in a Pattaya condo. They raided the Espana Condominium & Resort at 1am yesterday morning, arresting the lawbreakers, after receiving a tip that an illegal gambling casino was being hosted at the condo. Officials found 21 people gambling inside rooms 517 and 518 located on the 5th floor.…

  • Covid-19 News

    Fisheries department strengthens hygiene measures at Thailand’s seafood factories

    Thailand’s Fisheries Department has tightened hygiene measures in the country’s seafood factories in a bid to allay the fears of consumers and exporters. The current Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand started at a fish market in the central province of Samut Sakhon last month. Vicharn Ingsrisawang from the Fisheries Department says that since then, some consumers and exporters have voiced concerns…

  • Covid-19 News

    20 Thai provinces currently free of Covid-19 infections

    Thailand’s Covid-19 task force has confirmed that 20 provinces in the country have had no active cases of the virus since the new outbreak began. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has named the provinces as Si Sa Ket, Yasothon, Nong Bua Lamphu, Bueng Kan, Roi Et, Kalasin, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Phrae, Phayao, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son,…

  • World News

    Woman jailed in Singapore for lying to Covid contact tracers

    A 65 year old Singaporean woman, who tested positive for Covid-19 in February, has been jailed for 5 months after officials discovered she lied about having contact with a male friend. Oh Bee Hiok did not disclose that she’d met up with 72 year old Lim Kiang Hong 5 times in the weeks leading up to her diagnosis. It’s understood…

  • World News

    US health experts say rampage through Capitol was textbook super-spreader event

    A day after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building, the country experienced its deadliest day since the Covid-19 pandemic began, recording 4,000 deaths from the virus. And health experts say those figures are certain to get worse, describing the unprecedented rampage through the Capitol as a textbook super-spreader. Thousands of protesters crowded together, forcing their way into…

  • Pattaya News

    Chon Buri governor urged to order hotels to close so staff can collect social security

    The Eastern Hotel Association is urging the governor of Chon Buri to order all hotels in the province to close, so that staff can be eligible for social security payments. Prien Sae Ku, president of the EHA, says that as the province is currently considered “high risk” and people from other provinces are unable to enter without just cause, hotels…

  • Technology News

    Mor Chana app – what you need to know

    So what’s going on with the new Mor Chana app? As far as the Thai Government is concerned, it’s part of their fight to track and trace the Covid-19 virus during this current outbreak. More Chana is a contact tracing tool. In essence, the app will allow you to check in when you go to different locations around Thailand, enter…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Southern floods, Face mask fines, Thai Air Asia woes | January 8

    Thousands of residents in Songkhla, Yala and Narathiwat, in the very south of Thailand, have been evacuated from their homes due to flash flooding from nearly a week of almost continuous heavy rain. Local authorities say a total of 18,024 households across 19 districts have been impacted. In Yala, the Sai Buri River has burst its banks, flooding homes and…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Schools and lottery market in Loei close after family tests positive for Covid-19

    Schools and a lottery market in the Northeastern province Loei were ordered to close after a family tested positive for Covid-19. The province is marked as a “yellow zone” under high surveillance with a total of 6 reported Covid-19 infections. Schools will be temporarily closed from today until 24 January, while the lottery market will be closed from today onwards.…

  • Thailand News

    Questions raised about when Covid-19 vaccine will be available to expats

    Expats in Thailand might be in somewhat of a grey area when it comes to Covid-19 vaccines with Thai citizens likely to be the first priority during the rollout of vaccines. For Americans, the US Embassy in Bangkok says the US government does not plan to provide vaccines for “private” Americans living overseas. A representative from Thailand’s Disease Control Department…

  • Thailand News

    BTS Skytrain headquarters employee tests positive for Covid-19

    A BTS Skytrain staff member tested positive for Covid-19, the Bangkok mass transit company announced on their Facebook page. The employee worked at the BTS head office in the Chatuchak district and didn’t work at the BTS stations. Staff that came in close contact with the infected employee will undergo a Covid-19 swab test and are told to self-quarantine for…

  • Covid-19 News

    CCSA Update: 205 new Covid-19 cases

    205 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 4,519 active cases with a total of 9,841 infections and 67 deaths since the start of the outbreak last year. In the new wave of infections, the coronavirus has spread to 57 of Thailand’s 77 provinces. New local cases include: Samut Sakhon:…

  • Covid-19 News

    Royal Thai Army’s Children’s Day activities go online due to Covid-19

    Due to the new outbreak of Covid-19, the armed forces is suspending the upcoming national Children’s Day events to be held at Royal Thai Army units across the country tomorrow and will go online instead. All regular activities will broadcast on social media and online platforms including Facebook Live and YouTube, while additional interactive quizzes and prizes for children are…

  • Covid-19 News

    CCSA spokesman apologises for jail threat over non-use of Mor Chana app

    Yet another misunderstanding… The spokesman for the government’s Covid-19 task force has apologised for threatening those who don’t install the Mor Chana app with jail time. Taweesin Visanuyothin, from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has clarified on his personal Facebook page that the risk of imprisonment only applies to those in the 28 provinces currently colour-coded red for “high…

  • Phuket News

    Up to 20,000 baht fine for not wearing a mask in Phuket

    Wear a mask or pay a hefty fine… and possibly even go to jail. Phuket governor Narong Woonciew issued an immediate order requiring people in the island province to wear a face mask while in public to control the spread of Covid-19. Those who violate the order could face a 20,000 baht fine. Those who breach the order can also…

  • Covid-19 News

    Chiang Mai records 4 new Covid cases linked to same venue

    The northern city of Chiang Mai has confirmed 4 new cases of coronavirus, all of which are linked to the Warm Up café in the Muang district. The province of Chiang Mai now has 11 active cases and has recorded 57 cases in total, according to deputy governor, Weerapan Dee-on. “The 54th patient in Chiang Mai is a Thai man…

  • Thailand News

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha calls bluff on claims that he benefits from illegal gambling

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is calling bluff on claims that he is benefiting from illegal gambling and is ordering a crackdown on gambling after a cluster of Covid-19 infections were said to be linked to a den in Rayong. The outbreak linked to unlawful activities became a headache for health officials who have been trying to track down elusive gamblers to…

  • Covid-19 News

    UPDATE: Bangkok’s Emquartier closes some shops after Covid scare

    One of Bangkok’s trendiest shopping centres, Emquartier, adjacent to the Phrom Phong BTS station, has closed some shops due to the discovery of a Covid-19 infection from one of its customers. As officials track and trace the infection, they discovered that the shopper had visited a clothing store, a Thai restaurant, a fast food outlet (listed in the media release…

  • Business News

    Thai Airways delays take off in 2021 | VIDEO

    Due to the current outbreak of Covid-19, Thai Airways, Thailand’s flagship airline, is reducing its international flight schedule until at least March 27. A limited schedule of domestic flights are still operating as normal under the airline’s domestic carrier Thai Smile. Thai Airways will reduce international flights to the following destinations: Asia •Hong Kong: One daily return flight – TG638/TG639…