Songkran
- Covid-19 News
Government ramping up vaccination of the elderly ahead of Songkran holiday
Health authorities in Thailand are accelerating the Covid-19 vaccine rollout for the elderly population ahead of the Songkran holiday in April. Sumanee Wacharasin from the CCSA says the government wants to ensure people over the age of 60 receive a booster dose to maintain high immunity. The move comes as many people plan to return home, reuniting with elderly relatives…
- Songkran News
Government says Songkran can go ahead, CCSA to decide what that looks like
The Thai government says Covid-19 won’t stop this year’s Songkran celebrations, but insists that disease prevention measures will need to be followed. What that means for the mass water fights that were such a huge part of the celebrations pre-pandemic remains unclear for now. According to a Bangkok Post report, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has given the green light for interprovincial…
- Songkran News
Will Songkran be wet or dry? CCSA to discuss restrictions on March 18
The question of whether or not to allow massive water fights to celebrate Songkran, the Thai New Year, will be discussed on March 18 at a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting. The celebrations with water guns and splashing have been called off for the past two years to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Recently, the Department of Disease Control…
- Covid-19 News
Health officials say Thailand’s Covid cases could reach 100,000 a day by Songkran
Thailand’s daily Covid-19 infections could reach 100,000 by the Songkran holiday next month. That’s the worst-case scenario prediction from the Department of Disease Control, according to a Bangkok Post report today. The DDC says everything hinges on how strictly disease prevention measures are adhered to. These include avoiding group activities, working from home, avoiding non-essential travel, and maintaining high vaccination…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Update | Doubts on Thailand’s Songkran 2022
Even after the Test & Go program was rebooted on February 1, along with the additional and unpopular Day 5 PCR test, there hasn’t been a large increase in the number of international tourists visiting Thailand. Indeed the new applications and actual arrivals have fallen well below expectations by Thailand’s tourism tzars.Now, Phuket officials are launching new plans to encourage…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Update | Songkran cancelled for 2022?
Thailand’s famous water festival Songkran might be cancelled for 1 third year in a row if the daily Covid-19 infections reach 30,000 per day. The massive water festival and gun fight, celebrating the Thai New Year, has already had the tap turned off due to coronavirus restrictions. The DDC warns that Songkran, which is April 13 to 15 this year,…
- Songkran News
Songkran to be cancelled if daily Covid numbers hit 30,000 – DDC
Thailand’s famous water festival Songkran might be cancelled for another year if the daily Covid-19 cases reach 30,000 cases per day, the Department of Disease Control says. The massive water gun fight, celebrating the Thai New Year, was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to coronavirus concerns. The DDC warns that Songkran, which is April 13 to 15 this year,…
- World News
Water fights, dancing dragons, and dumpling soup: New Year traditions around Asia
In Western countries, the start of a new year is usually celebrated with fireworks and parties – and often topped off with drunken renditions of Auld Lang Syne. Not so in Asia, where traditional New Year celebrations are a little bit different. As we welcome 2022 (and plead with it to go easy on us), here’s what New Year festivities…
- World News
Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia – surprise spikes in Covid infections
For Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand, the Covid situation was ‘under control’. Everything was going fine and the countries were mulling re-opening borders to general travel. Well everything was going fine, until it wasn’t. In just 3 bewildering weeks, Thailand has gone from ‘let’s re-open Phuket’ to setting up thousands of field hospital beds. The daily infection totals over the past…
- Covid-19 News
Website, self-quarantine for post-Songkran Bangkok travellers
Bangkok is taking proactive steps to deal with the likely surge of Covid-19 cases after the Songkran holiday, asking those returning to Bangkok to submit their timelines online and self-quarantine 14 days. Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang is urging all people entering Bangkok to visit a website where they can perform a self-evaluation to assess their Covid-19 risk. The website, bkkcovid19.bangkok.go.th,…
- Road deaths
Songkran’s 7 dangerous days: 2,365 road accidents, 277 deaths
We’ve finally reached the end of the Songkran holiday “7 dangerous days”, where over 2,300 road accidents resulted in 2,357 injuries and 277 deaths. Every year Thai officials brace for the surge in holiday travel that brings a surge in accidents as well, but the silver lining of Covid-19 is the reduction in accidents. This year saw a drop of…
- Thailand News
Songkran road deaths, injuries cut in half thanks to Covid surge
Songkran New Year celebrations have seen road deaths and injuries cut in half thanks to surge of Covid infections just before the start of the annual holiday that essentially cancelled major gatherings. The Road Safety Director Centre says 192 people have been killed and 1,818 injured so far during the Songkran holiday, with 37 dying on Wednesday alone. But those…
- Thailand News
First 5 days of Songkran see more than 3,700 motorists booked for drink-driving
Over 3,700 motorists have been charged with drink driving offences during the first 5 days of the Songkran holiday. Witthawan Sunthornkajit from the Department of Probation says that between April 10 and 14, 3,741 motorists received suspended sentences for driving under the influence. 1,648 of those were on April 14, the highest number for the 5-day period. The worst-offending provinces…
- Songkran News
Bangkok sees 7.87 million vehicles over Songkran holiday
Covid-19 and its third wave be damned, close to 8 million vehicles travelled in and out of Bangkok so far during this year’s Songkran festival holiday period. Thailand’s Ministry of Transport released figures yesterday on the yearly holiday and revealed that more than 7.87 million cars, trucks, buses and motorbikes hit the roads and travelled into and out of Bangkok…
- Road deaths
Songkran road safety day 5: 37 deaths, 330 accidents
On the fifth day of Songkran’s infamous “seven dangerous days”, there were 330 road accidents resulting in 37 deaths and 328 injuries reported across Thailand. Songkran brings an increase in travel, and with it, an unfortunate increase in traffic accidents and road deaths. With Covid-19 severely curbing festivities this year, figures are generally down, but the government continues to encourage…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand provinces currently imposing travel restrictions
Here’s a list of Thai provinces current imposing restrictions on entry, by road or air, as you travel at this time. Today is the last day of the Songkran holiday, so there will be a return home for many people although it’s expected that many have also taken the Friday off to merge the Songkran break with the weekend. So…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Tour bus disaster, Covid infections drop slightly | April 13
A sad start to Songkran day after 5 people have perished, including 2 children, and another 12 seriously injured after a double-decker interprovincial bus caught fire near Khon Kaen. It was heading to Bangkok. The bus erupted into flames just after midnight on the Mitrapap highway. There were 33 passengers on board. The bus driver was also injured. 965 people…
- Covid-19 News
Chiang Mai: Covid-19 cancels many Songkran events
After a surge in new Covid-19 infections, Chiang Mai health officials decided to cancel Songkran celebrations and implement containment measures. As the virus spreads through Thailand, 281 new infections were just diagnosed on Sunday, reported in Monday’s daily Covid-19 statistics. These infections bring the total for the month of April to 662 people. With this outbreak spreading wider and faster…
- Road deaths
Songkran safety campaign Day 2: 357 road accidents, 30 deaths
On the second day of the Songkran road safety campaign, officials report 30 deaths, 374 injuries and 357 road accidents, up slightly from yesterday. The week of Songkran is infamous for increased traffic incidents and is often referred to as “7 dangerous days”, prompting government officials to push a campaign to raise awareness and safety this holiday. This year the…
- Covid-19 News
Health officials outline estimated daily infections based on 5 different scenarios
Health officials are using 5 different scenarios, with varying degrees of restrictions, to predict average daily Covid infection numbers in the Thailand, based on the latest rises in new infections over the past month. The Department of Disease Control and International Health Policy Program agency have based their estimates on 4 main measures in 5 different situations, based on predictive…
- Songkran News
Songkran activities cancelled in Ayutthaya due to Covid-19
After the recent outbreak of Covid-19 across Thailand, in a large part due to entertainment activities, Thailand’s former capital city of Ayutthaya has now officially cancelled all Songkran festival activities for the upcoming holiday. All events previously planned to mark the Thai New Year’s holiday between April 13 and 15 have now been called off. An urgent declaration by the…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand Covid UPDATE: 967 new infections announced Sunday
Thailand’s CCSA have announced 967 new Covid-19 infections today during their daily briefings. The number is another day of gradual increases that has grown. Thailand’s national total has now reached 32,625 total infections, of which 28,214 people have fully recovered. 4,314 people are currently under hospital supervision in Thailand following positive Covid tests. 9 new cases were revealed in Phuket…
- Songkran News
Many Thais ‘skipping’ Songkran due to the recent clusters
It’s Songkran, but not as we know it. This weekend Thais start to head back home for this year’s extended national holiday. Last year the celebrations were cancelled altogether, amid Thailand’s initial lockdowns. So this year, partly aided by the mid week dates of Songkran, the government added extra days, that are topped and tailed by weekends. So, many Thais…
- Covid-19 News
Transport Ministry: refunds to cancel travel for Covid-19
The Transport Ministry is launching plans to deal with forced cancellations of travel plans due to the most recent Covid-19 outbreak. With recent restrictions on entertainment venues, Songkran festivities, and some areas implementing quarantines for domestic travel, many holiday travellers will likely have no choice but to cancel their plans. The Transport Ministry has declared that all passengers by bus…
- Northern Thailand News
Chiang Rai sees 2 new infections linked to Bangkok, Chiang Mai entertainment venues
Chiang Rai is reporting 2 new Covid infections that are linked to entertainment venue clusters from Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The people who tested positive for the virus have entered a 14 day mandatory hospital quarantine. The governor of Chiang Rai and chair of the Communicable Diseases Committee ordered anyone travelling to the province from a red zone to self-monitor…
- Covid-19 News
Airlines urge government to shut down Songkran travel to curb virus spread
“Travel restrictions won’t be good for airlines, but in the meantime, we should prioritise long-term benefits instead of short-term revenue.” Thailand’s aviation sector is nervous, amid rising cases of Covid-19 and confirmation that the highly-contagious UK variant has reached the Kingdom. Airlines are calling on the government to introduce travel restrictions now, admitting that while this will hurt in the…
- Songkran News
Songkran fully cancelled in Bangkok amid Covid-19 outbreaks
All Songkran festival activities throughout every district of the Bangkok province have been officially cancelled to prevent more outbreaks of Covid-19. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced this difficult decision today in light of a rise in Coronavirus infection clusters around the country. Many of these outbreaks have been directly linked to entertainment venues, nightclubs and bars, including in Bangkok’s Thong…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok prepares to open field hospital as officials warn of a rapid rise in infections
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is considering opening a field hospital in preparation for a rapid rise in Covid-19 infections that could overwhelm medical facilities in the capital. Thai PBS World reports that the PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has instructed the BMA and the Ministry of Interior to arrange space in which a field hospital could be set up. The PM says…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket Covid infections reported as officials struggle with clusters in Bangkok entertainment venues
A week ago Phuketians were rallying behind the proposal to get the island open to tourists, quarantine-free, from July. The first tourists arrived from Germany and the local hotel industry were confident everything was heading in the right direction. That was until last weekend when the ‘Bangkok nightlife cluster’ came to town in the form of 3 big parties, the…
- Songkran News
Songkran travel okay to visit elderly relatives, not to party – Health Minister
Despite rising Covid-19 infections in Bangkok and other provinces, Thailand’s Public Health Minister says people travelling from the affected provinces during the Songkran holiday will not have to quarantine. “Although provinces have been divided into zones, designated by colours according to the infection rates, none will be locked down. People can still travel to other provinces without having to go…
