State schools in provinces hit by the fresh Covid-19 outbreak were closed on Wednesday to stop the virus from spreading.
Students, socially distanced, attend a flag-raising ceremony at a secondary school in Bangkok
A total of 2,797 schools in 42 provinces have temporarily shut – 2,302 primary schools and 495 secondary schools, said the Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec).
Apart from the continued threat of Covid-19, Thais are now being urged to prepare for seasonal influenza and dengue.
The National Health Security Office has announced that it will provide free vaccine for people who are covered by the universal healthcare system, members of the Social Security Fund and those under the civil servants' healthcare scheme, Dr Sakchai Kanjanawatana, secretary-general of the NHSO, has said.
Each group is advised to contact their service hospitals, though the free shots will only be provided to seven high-risk groups, such as those with chronic disease, children aged 6 months to 2 years and senior citizens aged 65 and up.
The eligible should register for the free vaccines immediately so they can boost their immune system before the rainy season arrives next month, he said, warning that the seasonal influenza can also be fatal.
Currently, there is a low rate of seasonal influenza infections due to the dry season combined with people wearing masks, he said.
Another disease that will arrive with the rainy season next month is dengue, warned Dr Anupong Sujariyakul, a senior expert in preventive medicine at the Department of Disease Control.
To avoid this, people should get rid of all open water containers that can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes, he said.
He also said that people with Covid-19 can also be infected with dengue, though the chances are slim.
The doctor warned that though the number of new confirmed Covid-19 cases is dropping, new infections may increases as more Thais return home from overseas.
People should continue staying home and avoid going to public places, he said in response to a question about a second wave of Covid-19 infections, since more cars were seen on Bangkok streets after the lowest number of confirmed cases were reported in a month – 27 on April 20 and 19 on April 21.
He also advised people to continue practising social distancing and wear masks. – The Nation
Chon Buri police chief removed over gambling related COVID-19 infections in province
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The police commander of Thailand's eastern province of Chon Buri has been abruptly removed from his post for alleged gross negligence in allowing illegal gambling dens to operate, which are being blamed for the COVID-19 outbreak in the province.
Pol Maj-Gen Prakarn Prachong was transferred to an inactive post at the operations centre of the Royal Thai Police, pending an investigation, by order of the national police chief, Pol Gen Suwat Jaengyodsook, after a probe, conducted by the police inspector-general, Pol Gen Wissanu Prasartthong-osot, confirmed the presence of illegal gambling dens.
Pol Maj-Gen Thiti Saengsuwan, the deputy commissioner of Region 2 Provincial Police Bureau, is to replace Prakarn as the acting provincial police commander.
Illegal gambling activities have been blamed for the spread of COVID-19 in Chon Buri, particularly in the Bang Lamung and Sattahip districts, raising the number of infections in the province to 202 in just a few days.
Ten locations in Bang Lamung and Sattahip districts have been declared high-risk zones. These include several markets, food shops and the Boonthavorn shops, which sell construction materials and ceramic ware.
Earlier, the police chief of Rayong province was also moved to an inactive post after it was discovered that COVID-19 infections originated from an illegal gambling den.
IATA fastholder, at lukkede grænser og karantæner intet løser i forsøget på at få genoprettet den globale luftfart. Der bør i stedet indføres systematisk testning og opsporing.
'Vi glæder os alle til at lægge år 2020 bag os.'
Sådan lyder den indledende og milde formulering fra IATAs generaldirektør, Alexandre de Juniac, i et blogindlægom et år, der for mennesker i hele verden har været ødelæggende og deprimerende.
Generaldirektøren fra flyselskabernes internationale sammenslutning håber, at det nye år vil give tegn på en bedre fremtid. Alexandre de Juniac træder nemlig ud af 2020 med stor frustration over regeringer verden over, der agerer på samme måde som i begyndelsen af coronapandemien; 'med dårligt koordinerede og kommunikerede grænselukninger', som det lyder i indlægget.
Alexandre de Juniac er på ingen måde tilhænger af grænselukninger, der bidrager til fortsat at have en lammende effekt på den globale luftfartsbranche. Han mener, at testning og et effektivt opsporings-system er vejen frem for at få genoprettet luftfarten.
Flere parter – herunder Verdenssundhedsorganisationen (WHO) – understregede fra pandemiens begyndelse, at vira ikke kan kontrolleres ved grænselukninger, lyder det fra IATA-direktøren.
Kritiserer håndtering af ny COVID-19-variant ICAO, der er den internationale luftfartsorganisation under FN, formulerede tidligere på året en såkaldt "Takeoff"-vejledning, hvor IATA bidrog med ekspertrådgivning. Her blev der opfordret til en lagdelt tilgang til biosikkerhed, der omfattede hurtig testning og brug af opsporing som alternativer til grænselukninger og karantæne.
'Desværre er Takeoff-vejledningen ikke globalt implementeret. Og reaktionen på den nylige opdagelse af en ny variant af coronavirus i Storbritannien viste, hvor stor kløften er. Regeringerne samarbejdede ikke om at implementere fleksible og afbalancerede politiske værktøjer til at holde grænserne åbne og kontrollere risikoen for folkesundheden,' skriver Alexandre de Juniac i sit nytårsindlæg.
'Regeringernes øjeblikkelige reaktion på en stigning i smittetilfælde og en mutation i virussen i Storbritannien var simpelthen lockdown og lukning af grænser. Virkningen var desto mere alvorlig, da den kom i begyndelsen af feriesæsonen – og mindede millioner af strandede rejsende om, hvor vigtig friheden til at flyve er.'
Efterlyser klare strategier Coronapandemien og de deraf følgende restriktioner har indtil videre haft store konsekvenser for den globale luftfarts- og rejsebranche. Over halvdelen af de 88 millioner mennesker, hvis levebrød understøttes af luftfart, har mistet eller risikerer at miste jobbet, lyder det fra Alexandre de Juniac.
Han konstaterer, at luftfart skal være med til, at verden igen bliver forbundet, og at mange regeringer har anerkendt dette ved at yde mere end 173 milliarder dollar (1.050 milliarder kroner, red.) i støtte til blandt andet flyselskaber.
'Da verden ser ud til at genoprettes i 2021, er det afgørende, at regeringer fremlægger en klar og langsigtet strategi, ikke kun til håndtering af COVID-19, men for fremtidige pandemiske udbrud. Grænselukninger har i næsten alle tilfælde vist sig at være ineffektive. At forsøge en "nul-risiko"-tilgang til udryddelse af COVID-19 viser sig at være en urealistisk ambition,' mener Alexandre de Juniac.
Han nævner videre, at der er udviklet et IATA Travel Pass, som er et såkaldt digitalt sundhedspas, der i øjeblikket er i en indledende testfase. Sundhedspasset vil sikkert kunne verificere og overføre test- og vaccinedata til de relevante sundhedsmyndigheder, og grænserne bør på den baggrund være permanent åbne.
Chonburi has divided districts into zones according to confirmed cases which are:
Highly controlled zone (Red) is Banglamung district (home of Pattaya,).
Control zone (Orange) is Mueang Chonburi district.
Under high surveillance zone (Yellow) – None
Surveillance zones (Green) are Sattahip, Si Racha, Panthong, Baan Bueng, Panat Nikhom, Nong Yai, Bor Thong, Koh Jan and Koh Si Chang district.
For the highly controlled zone which is Banglamung district (home of Pattaya,) read more about our previous story in the link below. Travel between zones is not prohibited, however, discouraged according to Chonburi officials.
Thailand's Rayong province shuts down as COVID-19 infections surge
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Rayong's provincial administration has decided to close all entertainment and recreational venues, schools, beauty salons, fitness clubs, amusement parks, children's playgrounds and public swimming pools across the province after 56 COVID-19 new cases were recorded today.
Governor Charnna Iamsaeng told the media today that total infections in the province, related to the illegal gambling den, have increased to 148 and the virus has spread to six districts.
He said that, initially, the closures were confined to the Muang district, where the outbreak originated, but now the measure covers the whole province.
Only super markets, convenience stores, drug stores, banks, government and state enterprise offices and food shops may remain open.
The governor also said that, besides Muang district, four other districts, namely Ban Chang, Nikhom Pattana, Ban Khai and Klaeng, have been declared maximum controlled zones, while Pluak Daeng and Khao Chamao districts have been declared maximum surveillance zones.
Movements of foreign migrant workers in the province during the New Year holidays are prohibited as a precautionary step, while Thai workers who are not residents of Rayong are urged to stay put and not to travel home, said the governor.
A COVID-19 alert was reported at the Taksin High School in the province, after one student reportedly contracted the virus from her parents.
150 students and 30 teachers, who are considered to be at high risk, were subjected to tests and the school was closed until further notice.
Tags: Rayong provincial administration, maximum controlled zones, four districts, businesses, entertainment venues
Arrivals at airports, unlike those crossing illegally by land, are assured of a Covid-19 test.
Growing evidence that migrants crossing illegally from Myanmar to find work in Thailand have created the current surge in coronavirus here has persuaded the Bangkok government to remove the fear of prosecution from them. Undocumented workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia are instructed to record their details at the Foreign Workers Employment Agency (FWEA), a privatized network which handles registration nationwide on behalf of the immigration authorities.
Thailand has always been dependent on guest workers from neighboring countries to fill labour shortages here, especially in the construction, fishing, factory and retail sectors. Recent government figures reveal that there are now about 400,000 documented workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia in employment. The number of unregistered, illegal workers may be a similar number. Many legal and undocumented labourers left Thailand shortly before the land borders were closed during the Covid-19 crisis last spring.
Although the frontier immigration posts remain closed for most purposes, they are still open to accept a small number of wannabe workers from the listed countries. Those proceeding through immigrant checkpoints are checked for coronavirus and housed in compulsory quarantine for two weeks, mostly hotels near border areas. But the immigrants or their potential employers in Thailand must pay for these services. The expense has boosted traffic in illegals who cross the leaky borders, often marked by a river, on their own or are shepherded by gangs or corrupt officials in return for a fee. Some entrants don't even have a passport or identifying documentation.
A group of legal migrant workers being processed at a Thai land border open only for documented entrants.
The Thai government has now agreed to use section 17 of the immigration act to make the registration of illegal workers possible at an FWEA office without fear of prosecution and deportation. They will be given pink cards (permission to work in low-skilled jobs) and found employment where necessary. Most importantly, they will undergo a Covid-19 test and be required to follow strict virus control protocols. However, one worry is that most guest workers live in close proximity in camp sites or cheap hotels where social distancing is problematical. Thai health authorities are promising regular checks.
By contrast, the number of international travellers arriving by air is quite small. New government figures indicate that, in the calendar year 2020, about 150,000 Thais and 55,000 foreigners have landed at Bangkok on repatriation or semi-commercial flights and been quarantined for the regulatory two weeks. But less than 2,000 individuals – 0.75 percent of the total – have been found to be infected on arrival or during their confinement. These statistics lend force to the argument that the country's land borders, rather than airports, pose the real threat from the virus.
The 55,000 foreigners arriving by air have all provided voluminous documentation to obtain their mandatory certificate of entry from the local Thai embassy overseas. They are mostly individuals with permanent residency here (holding a police red book), those with responsibility for a Thai spouse/family and holders of work permits. A smaller group comprises foreign students and medical tourists, together with condominium owners and serious investors.
The introduction of tourist visas several weeks ago, including the Special Tourist Visa and the inclusion of the Elite visa as a route to entry, has not so far had a significant effect on numbers. The total from these sources is 917 Chinese passport holders, 978 Europeans/Americans and 376 from Asean member-countries. Thailand is currently the only country in Southeast Asia offering tourist visas at embassies worldwide. But the future of international tourism now looks very bleak unless and until there is a mass vaccination program or a less cumbersome testing procedure which can give a result in minutes rather than hours or days. Challenging months lie ahead. Very challenging.
Now that Covid-19 vaccines are beginning to be rolled out around the world, you may now need something in addition to the actual vaccine. Documentation… a vaccine passport.
Documentation, including your current Covid status and vaccination details, will become 2021's biggest challenge as governments, businesses, and world travel, try and re-establish some sort of workable way forward.
Several companies and technology groups are developing smartphone apps or systems for individuals to upload details of their Covid-19 tests and vaccinations, creating digital credentials that could be shown in order to enter public building, sports stadiums, movie theatres, or even other countries.
One is the Common Trust Network, an initiative by Geneva-based non-profit The Commons Project and the World Economic Forum. Along with airlines Cathay Pacific, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, the new app will allow users to upload medical data and generate a QR code 'health certificate' without revealing sensitive information.
For travel, the app can lists health pass requirements relating to the countries based on your itinerary.
The next challenge facing the world after populations become more widely inoculated will be privacy issues and representing the effectiveness of the different vaccines.
Different apps are tackling these issues in different ways and immigration officials and airlines will have to keep up to date with the various methods of digital 'covid' passports in the future.
Of course there's also a large subset of people that don't use or have access to smartphones.
The Covid-19 Credentials Initiative is also developing a smart card that can easily be updated with the latest information and an online version that's easier to store.
Still, the real-life implementation, and lack of a worldwide 'standard' is going to add to ongoing confusion.
Did you get the Pfizer vaccine, did you get the Chinese vaccine, did you get the Russian vaccine, did you get a vaccine developed in the US?
The vaccine developed by Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm has a reported efficacy of 86% against Covid-19. Vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna each have an efficacy of around 95%.
The CommonPass platform will assess whether a person's lab test results or vaccination records come from a trusted source and can satisfy the health screening requirements of the country they want to visit.
It also remains unclear how effective the vaccines are in stopping the transmission of the virus.
So while a vaccine passport app will show that you've received the shot, it may not be a guarantee that you safely attend an event or get on a flight.
Like the early days of Covid-19, there will be a steep learning curve and a constant change in the fact pool, mixed in with plenty of spicy conspiracy theories. The latest being that one of the side effects may be infertility in young men.
Banglamung/Pattaya enters highly controlled status, shutdowns of non essential business, bars, malls, etc
Pattaya-
The Chonburi Governor released an emergency order this morning effective immediately for the Banglamung/Pattaya area to help control the Covid-19 coronavirus situation.
(The order specifically says Banglamung/Pattaya, and not all of Chonburi. More information is coming in on this, the majority of recent cases have been linked to Banglamung. It is UNCLEAR if it will affect all of Chonburi, but is very clear that it affects all of Banglamung and Pattaya City.)
This is due to an increasing cluster of infections stemming from an original cluster in Samut Sakhon at a seafood market that then spread through an illegal gambling establishment in Rayong, where some of the gamblers also went to Chonburi.
The brief and important details are as follows:
-Service venues closed, including bars, nightclubs, karaokes, massage parlors, etc
–Restaurants take away only. No dine in service.
-Malls, retail, etc closed except for supermarkets, drug stores, banks, mobile phone shops. All non essential closed, like clothes, etc.
-All educational places closed, schools, learning centers, vocational schools, etc.
-Leisure locations, like bowling, movie theaters, water parks, tourist attractions, etc. closed
-24 hour convenience stores must be closed from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM. There is NOT a total curfew.
-Restaurants in hotels can stay open, however can only serve hotel guests.
-Public swimming pools closed (As for condos, it will depend on if your condo juristic division considers the pool public.)
-Amulet stores, religious artifact stores, temple stores closed
-Pool, snooker, etc. closed
-Gyms, fitness closed and similar establishments
–Internet and game cafes closed
-Close massage shop, spas, beauty clinics. (It did not specifically say hair salon/barber shop, waiting for more information on this)
-Public parks, exercise areas, playgrounds and any place where people gather closed.
-No parties or gatherings
-Beaches were not specifically covered in the order. However, as the previous section on parks said any place where people may gather is closed it is likely they will be affected.
The order is until further notice with no expiration date. There is not an alcohol sales ban. There is not a curfew or stay indoors order, although people are encouraged to stay at home.
The mask mandate from the previous emergency decree is still in effect and one "could" be charged if found outside without a mask, The Pattaya News notes.
Governor Phakarathorn Tienchai approved the order. He is also asking residents to stay put, although there is not a strict order/checkpoints, domestic travel restrictions.
This is a developing story, we may add more to this document as information comes in.
