Prayut warns of lockdown - Bangkok Post

Prayut warns of lockdown

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration officials interview migrant workers at Or Tor Kor Market on Kamphaeng Phet Road in Bangkok's Chatuchak district during Covid-19 screening and testing following an outbreak in Samut Sakhon. All migrant workers at the market will be given Covid-19 tests.  Pornprom Satrabhaya

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has assigned the Public Health Ministry to prepare for a new Covid-19 lockdown in case the pandemic spirals out of control.

Gen Prayut said on Monday that public health officials were randomly testing migrant workers as far and wide as possible. "Everyone shares the responsibility for this mistake," he said.

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He said everyone should cooperate with the government and health authorities in containing the spread of Covid-19 among migrant workers "or else a lockdown will become unavoidable".

The prime minister said he wanted to spend seven days to assess the Covid-19 situation to decide whether the New Year countdown should be held or not, as well as Children's Day.

He asked the public not to panic and hoped the situation would improve after seven days.

He added that the Public Health Ministry had assured him at its morning briefing that the situation was still under control.

Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), says the ministry will present its proposals at its next meeting with the premier.

However, Dr Taweesilp said it was still impossible to decide whether New Year celebrations should be called off as part of the effort to contain Covid-19.

Information compiled over the past two to three days about the outbreak in Samut Sakhon still wasn't sufficient to predict the situation during the upcoming holiday season, he said.

"It will probably take about seven days to tell, around Dec 28, so, it's very hard to say at this point if celebrations should still be on or not," he added.

The CCSA recorded 382 new infections on Monday, 360 of whom were migrant workers, as health authorities sped up screening migrant workers in Samut Sakhon potentially linked with the province's central shrimp market, a new virus hotspot.

Fourteen new local transmissions were also recorded on Monday -- one in Ayutthaya, two in Nakhon Pathom, three in Samut Prakan, five in Samut Sakhon, two in Bangkok and one in Tak, said Dr Taweesilp, and all 14 were linked with the shrimp market.

The number of infections linked to the Samut Sakhon outbreak was likely to keep rising, he warned, given the fact that most Myanmar workers lived together in the same apartments. The results of about 2,600 tests are still pending.

Health authorities now aim to test a further 10,300 migrant workers believed to be linked with the infected workers, he said.

The Public Health Ministry has now adopted measures which have proved so successful among migrant workers in Singapore. Apartments where they live are being turned into makeshift quarantine centres. This approach should contain the spread of the virus, said Dr Taweesilp.

In Uttaradit, governor Phon Damtham said on Monday that among the new infections was a 48-year-old vendor who visited Samut Sakhon on Dec 3, 10 and 17 to buy seafood.

The woman heard on Saturday of the outbreak from the owner of a seafood shop in Samut Sakhon whose daughter was infected.

She tested positive the next day after she began to develop a fever, said Mr Phon, and a second test on Monday confirmed she had Covid-19. 

Konstaterade Covid19 fall idag

 

Prayut Orders Plans for New Thailand Lockdown as Covid-19 Cases Jump by 382 - Bangkok Herald

Prayut Orders Plans for New Thailand Lockdown as Covid-19 Cases Jump by 382

21 December 2020

Burmese migrant workers are confined to dormitories in Samut Sakhon now protected with razor-wire fencing.

Coronavirus cases linked to a Samut Sakhon shrimp market soared beyond 800 Monday as Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered the Public Health Ministry draw up contingency plans for a new national lockdown.

The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 382 new infections, including 14 locally spread cases. Of the total, 360 were found through additional testing of Burmese migrant workers at the Mahachai fresh market. The other eight cases were found in overseas returnees already in quarantine.

The 360 new cases today includes 122 cases disclosed by the Samut Sakhon on Sunday. Official coronavirus counts in Thailand run a day behind local reports.

Of the 14 local cases, a dozen are linked to the Samut Sakhon market, including two cases in Nakhon Pathom, three in Samut Prakan, five in Samut Sakhon and two in Bangkok. All were reported in the media on Sunday.

The other cases are comprised by an Ayutthaya beautician who worked in Chiang Mai, which saw an outbreak caused by a group of 10 Thai women who crossed the border illegally and skipped quarantine, and a Burmese migrant worker at a Tak Province supermarket.

In total, 821 cases have now been linked to the seafood market while Thailand's total official cases rose to 5,289. However, results of 2,800 tests remain outstanding, meaning those numbers likely will climb much her.

Mass coronavirus testing is underway.

It's not as if this is all a surprise. In October, Dr. Tanarak Plipat, deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department, pointed at the exploding coronavirus epidemic in Myanmar and predicted Thailand soon would be hit by a so-called "second wave" of infections.

He predicted on Oct. 3 – when Thailand had recorded ony 3,575 cases – that the total-case number could hit 6,000 by the end of this year.

Mass testing continues in Samut Sakhon with mobile units targeting migrant workers. About 40,000 tests are anticipated so far, but Chulalongkorn University virologist Dr. Yong Poovorawan suggested that all foreign migrant workers in Thailand be tested.

Samut Sakhon remains under a near-lockdown with other provicnes carefully watching local spread. Bangkok's governor on Saturday laid out 12 preventative measures to be taken by the city, but noe called for lockdowns.

However, Disease Control Department Director-General Opas Karnkawinpong said Monday that Prayut has instructed the Public Health Ministry to draw up guidelines to be used in determining whether individual provinces or the entire country should be locked down.

Health officials, however, continue to insist the new outbreak can be contained and suppressed within weeks, again pointing to this summer's similar outbreak in migrant worker dormitories in Singapore.

While 152,000 migrants ended either being infected or explosed to the virus, the city-state still has recorded only 29 deaths. Yong said the reason for that is the the overwhelming majority of the migrants were young, strong and relatively healthy.

Testing in Thailand this weekend showed that migrants who tested positive overwhelmingly were asymptomatic. 

New Measures Announced- BMA



 

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has announced a set of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the wake of a new surge of more COVID-19 cases, especially among foreign workers in Samut Sakhon province.

In these measures, schools and early childhood development centers, under the supervision of BMA, with areas adjacent to Samut Sakhon will be closed for 14 days, starting from 21 December onwards. BMA officials and personnel who live in Samut Sakhon and commute to Bangkok for work have been told to "work from home" for the time being.

The public and private sectors have been asked to refrain from organizing activities with the gathering of many people, such as the New Year festival and crossover night prayers to celebrate New Year. If they want to organize such an activity, they must submit a disease control plan to seek permission from BMA.

Screening centers have been set up to check foreign workers entering Bangkok from four roads, namely Phetchakasem, Rama II, Borommaratchachonnani, and Liap Khlong Phitthayalongkon. Public parks are allowed to be used for exercise, and not for the gathering of people.

Officials will search for COVID-19 infections among foreign workers working at all fresh-food markets in Bangkok, as well as among traders selling and buying seafood from Samut Sakhon.

District Offices will carry out a COVID-19 screening program for foreign workers at construction camps on a continual basis. Various religious centers should not allow foreign workers to conduct activities in their premises until the COVID-19 situation eases.

Restaurants, hotels, shopping centers, and entertainment places must be strict in screening people using their services. For example, they must ensure that their customers wear face masks. Cleaning must also be carried out in accordance with the set standards to ensure public safety.

More information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/aswinkwanmuang

Health ministry to prepare lockdown criteria - Bangkok Post

 PUBLISHED : 21 DEC 2020 AT 13:24

Health ministry to prepare lockdown criteria

The Talay Thai Market, one of the country's major seafood markets, was also shut down on Monday, until Jan 3, to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after an outbreak of Covid-19 that began at a nearby wholesale shrimp market in Muang district of Samut Sakhon. (Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

The Public Health Ministry has been assigned to draw up clear guidelines for locking down more provinces if the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.

Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration spokesman, said on Monday the task was given to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-ocha during a meeting at Government House.

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Thailand confirms 576 new coronavirus infections

Thailand confirmed 576 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, including 516 migrant worker cases announced the day before, according to a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) statement.

National Security Council secretary-general Nattaphon Narkphanit and other senior officials were also present.

Gen Prayut wanted criteria set in place in the event more than one province, or even all provinces, needed to be sealed off.

"That is not happening yet," the CCSA spokesman stressed.

The move reflected growing concern that the outbreak, which started at the Central Shrimp Market in tambon Mahachai of Samut Sakhon's Muang district, could spread through other provinces.

More than 800 new infections have been found in Samut Sakhon. All were linked to the wholesale shrimp market.

The virus has spread to visitors to the market from other provinces, including Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi and Suphan Buri as of Sunday.

There were also some cases which have not been linked to Samut Sakhon. They included a woman travelling from Chiang Mai to Ayutthaya.

The communicable disease committees in all provinces, chaired by the governors, have been authoritised to make the decision whether to shut down to contain the virus.

Dr Taweesilp said the prime minister wanted clear guidelines in place, setting out if and when more than one province needed to be sealed off.

"What the criteria should be," he said. "It should not be decided by one person", referring to the authority of the governor to make the decision as the committee chairman. 

The Jack Report: Dengue Fever is far more dangerous than COVID - Bangkok Jack

 The Jack Report: Dengue Fever is far more dangerous than COVID

The Thai language news-feed Sanook has reported that Dengue Fever continues to infect many more people in Thailand than the COVID flu virus.

December 21, 2020

As does AIDS, Chicken Pox, Influenza and Herpes, to name just a few.

Non-viral, but potentially lethal, infections such as Malaria also claim far more, millions more, victims across the globe, including SE Asia, than COVID.

And yet never in the history of the world have so-called leaders of people and their 'experts' reacted so recklessly and irresponsibly as we have seen this year during their COVID PANIC.

For example, in Thailand, figures from the infectious disease department reveal that between January 1st and September 28th there have been 59,842 cases of Dengue Fever leading to 38 deaths.

The three worst hit provinces are Mae Hong Son in the north and Nakhon Ratchasima and Chaiyaphum in the north east.

This is not uncommon. In fact it has been a fairly normal year in this respect.

The age group affected the most is between 10 and 34 years old.

In terms of fatalities those affected have been either obese or slow in seeking treatment. Medical misdiagnosis was also cited.

The authorities reacted to the spread of the disease by recommending the removal of standing water, tidying up your house and wearing clothes that prevent Dengue carrying mosquitoes from biting you.

Sheer genius. But where is the crashing of a once vibrant economy. Why no mass closures and sweeping unemployment?

Why isn't Pattaya surrounded by childish check-points this time, manned by mask wearing juveniles with clipboards who are shouting and blowing whistles?

Dengue is far worse than COVID you know.

And the infection rate is likely to accelerate now that the rains have come.

Comparing these figures with the 3590 COVID infections and 59 deaths across the country during the same period we can ask ourselves how necessary were the lock-downs, shut-downs, shake-downs and curfews imposed by a clueless, authoritarian government.

Which were then ramped up and tailored to suit the egos of clueless, authoritarian local mayors and governors

Especially when the lives lost in terms of desperate suicides, starvation, alcoholism and violence pales the number of COVID casualties into almost insignificance.

We may also start asking ourselves how long it will be before Thailand's gracious leaders begin to impose their Orwellian restrictions to everybody's lifestyles during Dengue outbreaks, or Chicken Pox in schools or any other normal infection experienced by every society throughout history.

And then we might start asking ourselves what is really going on here. – Albert Jack

Road to Pattaya is Thailand’s MOST DANGEROUS - Bangkok Jack

Road to Pattaya is Thailand's MOST DANGEROUS

December 21, 2020

The chief of Thailand's highways department has revealed data from the Highway Accident Information Management System (HAIMS) for the month of November.

Thai Rath noted that Chonburi was the "champion" province and Route 7 that runs from Bangkok to Pattaya was the worst road in the country for accidents.

Sorayuth Songsirilai said that in November there had been 1,335 accidents on his highways.

Of these there had been 241 deaths and 1,222 injuries involving 2,219 vehicles. The Highways' Department had suffered losses of 12 million baht as a result.

Compared to November 2019 accidents were 10% up, deaths 5% down, injuries 9% up and 19% more vehicles had been involved.

Causes of accidents were speeding 69% (927 accidents), cutting in front at close quarters 8% (108), microsleep 6% (74) and defective equipment on vehicles 3% (37).

Accidents happened on straight stretches 71% (954 times), bends 11% (144), intersections 6% (78).

Vehicles involved in accidents were pick-ups 35% (783 times), cars 28% (621) and motorcycles 16% (366).

Worst region was the north with 25% of accidents followed by the North East 17% and the South 16%.

The top three worst provinces for accidents were Chonburi followed by Suphanburi and Bangkok metropolitan area.

The worst road was Route 7 with 51 accidents in November.

Other information for total accidents reported by Thaivisa recently indicates that nearly a million people have been injured on the roads this year. The death at the scene of accidents is likely to exceed 15,000 making it worse than 2019.

But the real death toll when all accidents are correlated is well in excess of 20,000 per year a figure that has been admitted in the past by DPM Prawit Wongsuwan.

Accident activists regularly put the figure between 24,000 and 26,000 per annum. – Thai Rath

21/12

 

Bangsaen cancels New Year Countdown celebrations, Pattaya waiting and monitoring situation in Samut Sakhon - Pattaya News

Bangsaen cancels New Year Countdown celebrations, Pattaya waiting and monitoring situation in Samut Sakhon

Sunday, 20 December 2020, 16:42

Bangsaen-

Bangsaen has announced they will suspend the popular New Year's Celebrations and countdown festival due to concerns about the recent breakout of Covid-19 in Samut Sakhon.

The event, which normally features fireworks, concerts, food and more events draws thousands to the area but organizers said out of precaution they have canceled the event.

Pattaya, which is scheduled to hold arguably one of the biggest countdown celebrations in Thailand headlined by major artists like Bodyslam, Carabao, Da Endorphine, Urboytj and many more in a three day festival will, for now, stay on schedule according to the Pattaya Mayor. Speaking today to the press while casting his vote in local elections Sonthaya Khunpluem, the Mayor of Pattaya, said there was legitimate concern but the city felt that their Covid19 preparation was significant and they had successfully held many other recent events like the music festival with no issues.

Pattaya City is expected to continue to monitor the situation over the next week in regards to the countdown festival. The event is expected to bring significant badly needed domestic tourism revenue to Pattaya. Local hotel owners stated to the Pattaya News that they are already fully or nearly fully booked. A cancellation of the festival, which draws thousands to Pattaya normally, would be a significant revenue loss for the city that badly needs the business.

There is also scheduled to be a smaller countdown festival on Koh Larn which, at this time, is set to continue.



Outbreak 'under control' - Bangkok Post

Outbreak 'under control'

Around 2,000 Myanmar migrant workers wait in front of a dormitory near the Thai Union Market in Samut Sakhon. Health officials are testing thousands of Thai vendors and Myanmar workers linked to a cluster of infections at the Central Shrimp Market. (Photo by Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

The Public Health Ministry has reassured that it is able to contain the new outbreak of the novel coronavirus that originated in a seafood market in Samut Sakhon within two to four weeks, despite new cases surging to almost 700 as of on Sunday.

Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said on Sunday that the number of cases linked to Talad Klang Kung, or the Central Shrimp Market, surged to 689 from Saturday's tally of 548, as authorities conducted tests on 1,443 people yesterday.

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Of the 689 cases, 657 or (45% of the 1,443) were detected in local communities in Samut Sakhon. "Most are migrant workers," Dr Opas said.

The other 32 were patients who sought treatment at hospitals and detected by contact tracing. These include two patients in Bangkok who went to the market to buy seafood, he said.

The outbreak from the market has also spilled over into other provinces, Dr Opas said.

Three patients have been found in Samut Prakan and two in Nakhon Pathom. "All can be traced back to the Central Shrimp Market," Dr Opas said.

He pointed out that more cases are expected in the coming days as more tests are being conducted on workers at the Central Shrimp Market.

"Don't worry. The sooner the infections are detected, the quicker the outbreak can be controlled," Dr Opas said.

He said the outbreak is still limited at the Central Shrimp Market and nearby dormitories, which have now been sealed off to prevent people from leaving or entering the areas.

More than 2,000 people were tested over the past two days and authorities will test 2,000 more people, Dr Opas said, adding no additional infections have been found in other areas.

The Central Shrimp Market is one of the largest shrimp wholesale markets in the country, where wholesalers and retailers from other provinces converge.

The market mainly employs workers from Myanmar, with only 10% of the labour force there being Thais, according to the Public Health Ministry.

The first case was a Thai woman who owns a stall at the market. She fell ill on Dec 13 and tested positive for Covid-19 on Dec 17.

Kiatiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary for public health, said health officials are confident that the outbreak had originated in the Myanmar migrant workers community at the market.

As such, the ministry has decided to expand testing to cover as many Myanmar workers in Samut Sakhon as possible, he said, adding that officials now have the information of all those who bought seafood at the market and where they went afterwards.

Dr Kiatiphum said the ministry expected the situation to return to normal within four weeks, provided that the transmission rate remains under control.

He went on to say that the ministry is confident that the outbreak in the market won't spread across the country.

"The chance of the virus spreading to Thais is limited because Myanmar workers tend to stay within their community and usually don't travel far from where they live," he said.

Dr Aekaphob Phienpiset, a Chiang Rai MP from the opposition Kao Klai Party, who sits on a House panel on public health, yesterday blamed the ministries of Interior and Labour as well as security agencies for the outbreak for failing to do their duty until many migrant workers had illegally entered the kingdom via natural channels.

Meanwhile, Bangkok governor Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang called an urgent meeting of City Hall agencies to assess the new Covid-19 outbreak.

Speaking after the meeting, City Hall spokesman Pol Capt Pongsakorn Kwanmuang said that the private sector has been asked to cancel New Year festivities. But if they must proceed, they must seek permission from the health department, and present their disease control plans, he said.



Some clarification from Thai embassies for visa-exempt and retiree expat categories - Pattaya Mail

Some clarification from Thai embassies for visa-exempt and retiree expat categories

Pattaya MailDecember 20, 2020

In spite of rumours, absolutely everyone wanting to come to Thailand must receive permission from the local Thai embassy.

Just days ago, Thai government spokesmen stated that the visa-exempt category was being re-introduced to encourage more tourists to visit Thailand. This provision allows foreigners from 56 countries (including UK, most of Europe, US and Australia) to enter Thailand by air without a visa for 30 days with an additional 45 days extension to compensate for the initial fortnight which must be spent in a Thai quarantine hotel or other registered venue such as a golf course. Incidentally, certain Latin American countries separately have a 90 days initial entry provision to Thailand thanks to long-standing bilateral agreements.



The lack of detail caused many social media users to believe that wannabe visitors from visa-exempt countries had no need to obtain clearance from the local Thai embassy and could simply hop aboard the next plane. Thanks to the website of the Royal Thai Consulate General, Los Angeles, we now know that the optimists were very wrong. The actual requirements are:

Adequate cash defined as a minimum of 20,000 baht per individual or 40,000 baht per family: i.e. an overseas bank balance with the equivalent amount.

Covid-19 specific medical insurance worth a minimum of US$100,000 for the duration of the stay.

Confirmation of Alternative State Quarantine directly from the hotel (and not through Booking.com).

A copy of the round trip confirmation by air.

Fit to fly health certificate and Covid-19 test issued not more than 72 hours before departure.

The certificate of entry issued by the local Thai embassy.

Some retirees are wondering how to get back into Thailand if they leave.

Because the bureaucracy is similar to all other categories of entry to Thailand, together with compulsory self-paid quarantine, it is unlikely that many short-term visitors will apply through this route, especially as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified that the visa-exempt entry cannot be transferred in Thailand to any other visa category. A more attractive alternative to many will be the 60 days tourist visa which can be extended a further 45 days post quarantine. Whether this visa can be used when in Thailand to transfer to another visa category is unclear. But several embassies are requiring to see a round-trip air travel confirmation.

Meanwhile, all Thai embassies are now requiring applicants abroad for the non-O visa (based on retirement) to fall into line with those wanting the O/A (one year) and O/X (ten years) visas to provide a general medical insurance policy of at least 400,000 baht (inpatient) and 40,000 baht (outpatient) additionally to the US$100,000 Covid-19 insurance. This will disappoint many retirees who believed that the non-O was protected against general medical insurance in all circumstances.

It is not even clear that holders of the one year extension of stay, based on non-O, will be exempt from the general medical insurance if they leave Thailand and have a valid re-entry permit on returning. They must, of course, apply at their local Thai embassy for the certificate of entry. Several Thai embassies – Ankara and Washington DC for example – appear to be stating that they will need the 400,000/40,000 baht general insurance on top of Covid-19 cover whether or not they have a re-entry permit. On the other hand, the Thai embassy in London seems to state that only Covid-19 insurance is necessary if a valid re-entry permit, based on a non-O visa, is in play.

It is still not necessary for retirees to provide general medical insurance as they renew their extensions at Thai immigration based on non-O or non-B, although they must do so if based on O/A. However, it is currently ambiguous whether they can return, with or without a re-entry permit, unless they hold both sets of insurance documents. Retirees aged over 70, and particularly over 75, find general medical cover near-impossible to obtain from the designated Thai companies, although Covid-19 insurance is easy to access up to the age of 99.




Many immigration gurus believe that the Thai government has produced so many visa options in recent months, often with overlapping jurisdictions, that some confusion is inevitable. That may well be true, but the time is fast approaching when the status of retiree expats needs proper analysis. Already many are looking at alternative long-term visas, such as Elite or ownership of property or family, which do not carry the double-whammy of two insurances. Or looking for a new country.



Samut Sakhon update: PM urges calm, BMA issues restrictions for Bangkok - The Thaiger

Samut Sakhon update: PM urges calm, BMA issues restrictions for Bangkok

By 

The Thaiger

Monday, December 21, 2020

The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging Thai people not to panic over the "new wave" of Covid-19 infections that have swept through Samut Sakhon, south west of Bangkok, and to keep themselves informed with updates.

In a Facebook post today, the PM urged people "not to lower their guard and to wear face masks at all times while outdoors, to maintain social distancing, wash their hands frequently". He also asked people to scan the Thai Chana mobile application every time they enter and exit a public venue.

The CCSA yesterday updated the outbreak of cases to 689. More are expected.

The PM says that Thailand has experience in coping with the pandemic, has a strong public health infrastructure and good cooperation from the people. He stressed the need to contain the latest outbreak as quickly as possible,

"Health officials have expanded their search for people infected or suspected to be infected in all provinces with business connections to the shrimp market in Samut Sakhon province."

Late yesterday the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration cancelled New Year countdown events.

"For other events, such as the one planned at Ratchaprasong intersection, City Hall will seek the organiser's cooperation in cancelling the events but, if they want to go ahead they must submit their safety plans to City Hall for consideration in advance."

"Restrictions have also been tightened up at entertainment venues, boxing rings and fresh markets."

"For pubs and bars, each table must be 1.5 metres apart and no dancing is allowed. For boxing rings, a limit on the number offans will be imposed and all must wear face masks in the stadium at all times and keep socially distanced."

The BMA is today checking all 472 fresh markets around Bangkok.

"All shoppers must scan the Thai Chana application when entering the markets and all migrant workers must wear face masks."

"All BMA-run schools in Bang Bon, Bang Khun Thian and Nong Khaem districts, which are not far from Samut Sakhon, have been ordered to close until January 4."

Additionally, several schools in Bangkok have announced closures "for the safety of students". At this stage, they include…
• Wattana Wittayalai
• Assumption Thon Buri
• Bangkok Christian College
• Suan Kularb College
• Thepsirin School

The BMA also asked yesterday for workers to work from home for the next 14 days although this remains a request at this stage, rather than an order.

Thailand's Public Health Ministry upgraded the number of Covid-19 cases in the provincial cluster, mostly Burmese migrant workers, to 689 cases, all identified through contact tracing. Most worked in and around the provinces coastal fishing markets on the Gulf coast, according to the Department of Disease Control. The numbers are expected to rise over coming days.

Burmese worker camps in the province have now been locked down, including surrounding some with barbed wire to enforce the situation. There is currently a curfew in Samut Sakhon and access in and out of the province is being restricted to essential traffic only (although one Hua Hin resident contacted The Thaiger last night saying that he drove from Hua Hin to Bangkok, through Samut Sakhon, unhindered.)

The Thaiger will monitor and quickly report any changes to the current situation around Bangkok and adjoining provinces.