July reopening to prevent Phuket from plunging into poverty - Phuket News

July reopening to prevent Phuket from plunging into poverty

PHUKET: Reopening Phuket to receive foreign tourists from July 1 is aimed at preventing island residents from plunging into poverty, it was revealed yesterday (Mar 24).

Before the pandemic, the average income in Phuket was B43,000 per month, Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panapong told a meeting of the Communicable Disease Committee.

After the outbreak began last year, the average income fell to B8,303 per month, he said.

"If the tourism industry and the island's economy does not recover, the average income in Phuket is likely to keep decreasing," he added.

"in July, the average income will be only B1,964," Vice Governor Pichet noted.

Vice Governor Pichet's dire prediction yesterday is consistent with the economic forecast delivered by Assistant Professor Dr Chayanon Phucharoen, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism, Prince of Songkla University (PSU) Phuket campus, last month.

Speaking at the meeting, Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Kusak Kukiattikoon said, "At this stage, the Phuket government and the tourism private sector [sic] had filed a request to the central government for 933,174 doses of COVID-19 vaccines."

The number of vaccines is to be provided to 466,587 people, more than 70% of people living on the island, Dr Kusak said.

"Phuket has 417,402 people registered in the civil registration [database] as living in Phuket," Dr Kusak said.

"The other groups are 94,100 people working in the tourism industry who are not registered as living in Phuket, 5,250 people working in other industries, and 56,700 foreigners living on the island," he added, providing a total of 573,452 people believed to be on the island today.

"But the vaccination will be provided only to those who are older than 18 years, so there are 310,357 residents in total [to be vaccinated]," Dr Kusak noted.

Dr Kusak gave the quota of vaccine doses to be provided to Phuket as: 4,000 doses arriving in March, 100,000 in April, 300,000 in May, 200,000 in June, 64,587 in July, 200,000 in August and September, and 64,587 in September and October. 

The breakdown gives a total 933,174 doses to vaccinate 466,587 people.

Permission from Bangkok for Phuket to start receiving international tourists from July 1 is dependent on the island achieving "herd immunity" to the COVID virus by having at least 70% of the island's residents vaccinated.

However, while in recent days officials have consistently cited the same population figures given by Dr Kusak yesterday, Phuket officials have yet to explain different figuresgiven just weeks ago for how many people are on the island, and need to be vaccinated in order to satisfy Bangkok's requirement.

The main discrepancy is the number of foreigners on the island.

On Mar 19, previous Vachira Hospital Director Chalermpong Sukontapol told the press, "At this stage, Phuket has about 600,000 people, comprising 417,000 people registered as permanent residents in the civil registration database, 100,000 people from other provinces, and 81,000 foreigners and migrant workers."

As recognised by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday, a major obstacle to achieving herd immunity, and reopening Phuket to international tourists from July 1, is the apprehension among island residents themselves to be vaccinated.

An online poll by The Phuket News poll last month revealed that Phuket people were divided on whether or not to take a COVID vaccine.

Overall, 28% of respondents voted an outright "Yes" to taking a COVID vaccine, and a further 28% voted "It depends on the vaccine".

The remaining 43% voted an outright "No" to taking a COVID vaccine.

Regardless, Dr Kusak explained yesterday, "The PPHO will set up nine vaccination stations across the island, at: Phuket Rajabhat University, Saphan Hin stadium, Prince of Songkla University [Phuket campus], Chalong Hospital, Phuket Orchid Resort, Jungceylon shopping mall, the Angsana Convention and Exhibition hall [at the Angsana Laguna Phuket resort], the Thanyapura Health Resort and Splash Resort Phuket.

"The Phuket government and the private sector have to work together for tourism to recover," he said. 

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A ferry to connect Chon Buri in the east and Songkhla in the south will be launched within the first half of this year, according to Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob. Bangkok Post

East-South ferry launch

A ferry to connect Chon Buri in the east and Songkhla in the south will be launched within the first half of this year, according to Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob.

The service will facilitate logistics as well as boost tourism, said the minister.

The Bangkok-based Seahorse Ferries Company will offer the service. It imported the 136.6m-long ship from Japan. It can accommodate up to 586 passengers, 80 lorries and 20 cars. It will also have guestrooms, a restaurant, a recreation zone and a lobby. The vessel can run up to 17 knots (32kph).

The Marine Department approved the ship for the commercial service on March 12. Seahorse Ferries expects to launch a test service next month.

The ferry will depart from the Chuk Samet Pier in Chon Buri's Sattahip district and will dock at the Southern Songkhla port operated by Songkhla Southern Logistic 2009 in Songkhla's Muang district. The one-way journey is about 20 hours.

Minister defends Suvarnabhumi expansion - Bangkok Post

Minister defends Suvarnabhumi expansion

Suvarnabhumi airport

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob on Wednesday brushed aside an anti-graft agency's recommendation about the upgrade of Suvarnabhumi airport, saying the Airports of Thailand (AoT) was ready to proceed with expansion schemes, including the controversial North expansion project.

His remark came after the cabinet acknowledged a report by the National Anti Corruption Commission (NACC) recommending the expansion schemes for Suvarnabhumi airport should proceed in line with a cabinet resolution dating back to 2010.

Then, the cabinet endorsed the East Expansion, which according to the NACC, would accommodate the planned opening of the Midfield Satellite Concourse next year. In its report, the NACC also recommended the West Expansion should proceed simultaneously to enable the airport to cater for up to 75 million passengers per year.

Mr Saksayam said AoT had the resources to invest in expansion schemes costing 60 billion baht, which along with the Satellite 1 passenger terminal due to be completed next year, would increase the annual handling capacity of Suvarnabhumi airport to 120 million passengers.

The Satellite 1 passenger terminal will accommodate 15 million passengers annually while the expansion schemes will accommodate 20 million passengers each. This will boost the airport's overall capacity to 120 million passengers.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Suvarnabhumi had become overloaded and its passenger numbers exceeded its annual capacity of 45 million.

However, the minister said AoT was waiting for opinions from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) before forwarding the information to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) to decide which expansion schemes should proceed.

"The cabinet didn't instruct the ministry to follow the NACC's recommendation and the ministry explained its plan of becoming the aviation gateway and servicing 200 million passengers per year.

"The AoT was ready to invest in the three expansion schemes as well as the North Expansion," he said.

A government spokesman said the NACC had recommended that Suvarnabhumi's upgrade should comply with the NESDC's suggestions that the East, West and South expansion schemes proceed before the North's.

The NACC recommendation was made following AoT revised its master development plan and proposed that Suvarnabhumi include the North expansion so it could handle up to 150 million passengers a year.

That drew flak from experts who alleged that scheme had been poorly designed and would do little to alleviate Suvarnabhumi's overcapacity.

They said a southern terminal would provide more room to cope with growing passenger traffic over the long run and be more easily accessible.



No-quarantine plan for foreign visitors to Phuket from July - Bangkok Post

No-quarantine plan for foreign visitors to Phuket from July

Members of Phuket's infectious diseases committee meet on Wednesday, when they approved a plan to open the southern island province to foreign visitors without quarantine from July 1 onwards. (Photo: Achadtaya Chuenniran)

PHUKET: Foreign visitors will be allowed entry to Phuket without quarantine from July 1, with nearly a million doses of Covid-19 vaccine ready for local residents before then, under a plan approved by provincial authorities.

Deputy governor Pichet Panapong said the infectious diseases committee approved the proposal on Wednesday.

"Phuket has been without any new Covid-19 cases for 89 days... There is in urgent need for foreign tourists here, to stimulate the economy and tourism sector," he said.

"Before, a local resident earned about 40,000 baht per month on average. In February this fell to about 8,000 baht. Without some change, this will fall to 1,964 baht in July, which is below the poverty line."

Mr Pichet said Phuket had 120,000 rooms in about 600 hotels. A survey concluded that foreigners do want to visit Phuket, if it reopens without quarantine.

He said Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow had earlier instructed Phuket to reopen to foreign visitors on July 1.

Phuket health authorities planned to acquire 930,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine before July 1, for the local population, and foreign visitors' movements would be tracked by phone app, Mr Pichet said. 

Thailand to nominate “Tom Yum Goong” to be placed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage 2021 list - Pattaya News

Thailand to nominate "Tom Yum Goong" to be placed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage 2021 list

Wednesday, 24 March 2021, 16:08

National –

The Thai cabinet yesterday, March 23rd, has approved the Culture Ministry's proposal to nominate Thailand's most popular dish, "Tom Yum Goong", to be placed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) list.

Government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul stated after the cabinet meeting that the Tom Yum Goong, or Thai hot-and-sour soup with shrimp, reflects the simple lifestyle of the way of life in Thai agricultural communities living along rivers and canals in central Thailand, who have their own unique culinary culture related to nature.

The local dish is prepared by putting fresh shrimp, which are abundant in Thailand's waterways, and is flavored with an abundance of local herbs such as galangal, fragrant lemongrass, chili, and kaffir lime leaves which are commonly grown in nearly every rural household.

"Tom Yum Goong, therefore, perfectly reflects the simplicity and lifestyle of Thai people who have been always dependent on nature and self-dependent. The dish also serves many health benefits," Traisulee added.

Apart from being recognized and appreciated internationally, the spokesperson further explained that the dish also perfectly reflects the practice of Buddhism among some local people who prefer to avoid eating the meat of large animals on particular Buddhist religious days.

Tom Yum Goong will now compete to join Khon and traditional Thai massage in UNESCO's ICH list as both were previously registered in 2018 and 2019, respectively. 



Plane tickets cheaper than Bangkok bus fare in new TAT promotion - Bangkok Jack

Plane tickets cheaper than Bangkok bus fare in new TAT promotion

March 24, 2021

Travellers, it's time to check your pockets for change. On Tuesday, six Thai airlines launched special promotions with tickets for domestic routes starting from Bt8.

Organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the "Thai Travel Fleet is Even More Amazing" campaign aims to lure back passengers with low fares and Covid-safe transport.

The special fares are being offered by Nok Air, Thai AirAsia, Thai Lion Air, Thai Smile, Thai Vietjet, and Bangkok Airways.

Nok Air

30 per cent discounts plus Nok CareKits consisting of disposable seat covers, alcohol pads, and face masks on every seat.

Thai Airways

30 per cent discounts on domestic flight bookings from March 22-28 for travel from March 29-September 30.

Thai Lion Air

Weekday tickets from Bt99 (excluding airport tax) for bookings from April 1-30 to travel on April 1-September 30 (Monday-Thursday, excluding public holidays). Discount vouchers via Klook.

Thai Smile Airways

Fares on all domestic routes start at Bt8 with full service. Promotion available for one day only on March 26 (Friday) for travel from April 1-October 30.

Thai Vietjet

Fares start at Bt99, or Bt480 including taxes and fees, for bookings from March 23-December 31 to travel from March 24-December 31.

Bangkok Airways

50 per cent discount on round-trip fares if you apply for the FlyerBonus points reward programme and register via bangkokair.com/halfprice from 8am on March 24 to 8pm on March 26. – The Nation



Thousands of hotels are FOR SALE in Thailand - Bangkok Jack

Thousands of hotels are FOR SALE in Thailand

Thailand's richest man plans to acquire distressed hotels, betting on a quick revival in tourism once the nation reopens to foreign visitors.

March 24, 2021

Thousands of hotels are available for sale in Thailand currently and "the number is increasing by the day," according to Stephan Vanden Auweele, chief hospitality group officer of the company, majority-owned by billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi's TCC Group.

It bought a hotel in tourist hotspot Pattaya this month and is on the lookout for more acquisitions, he said.

Tourism-reliant Thailand has gone without its millions of foreign visitors for a year, leaving its hotels and tourism businesses struggling to stay afloat.

Some properties have closed down and may not reopen when international travels resume later this year, according to the Thai Hotels Association.

"The gap between buyers and sellers for projects, which are available for sale now, is closing. That means there's more alignment on pricing today," Vanden Auweele said in an interview Monday.

"If the right products, right hotels come at the right price, we will definitely look at every opportunity."

Asset World plans to convert the property it acquired in Pattaya into a branded hotel, Vanden Auweele said. The company can also acquire plots of land and properties from the private portfolio of Charoen's TCC Group, he said.

The Thai tourism industry "will come back very quickly" once the country is fully reopened in October, according to Vanden Auweele. But some of the businesses that were facing problems before the pandemic won't survive, he said.

"This situation is about cleaning up and maybe eliminating whoever was already not doing well before the crisis," Vanden Auweele said. "If people weren't making money then, should they still exist?"

Asset World has more than 50-billion baht worth of projects in its pipeline, and most of its previously announced projects are on track with three hotels scheduled to open this year, Vanden Auweele said.

A project to build Thailand's tallest tower is expected to break ground by the first quarter of 2023.



Twice as many motorcycles on Thai roads as there are cars - Pattaya Mail

Twice as many motorcycles on Thai roads as there are cars

Pattaya MailMarch 24, 2021

The high number of vehicles on Thai roads have been said to be a contributing factor to the poor air quality and high PM2.5 levels seen throughout Thailand.

Statistics from the Ministry of Transport showed that the number of vehicles of all types across the country as of February 28th, 2021 was 41,633,891, or equivalent to three-fourths of Thailand's population of about 70 million people.

Most of the registered vehicles are motorbikes, which make up half of the total vehicles, or 21,452,050 vehicles.

The high number of vehicles on Thai roads have been said to be a contributing factor to the poor air quality and high PM2.5 levels seen throughout Thailand. (NNT)

Comments from concerned people on NNT Facebook page

'Time to bring in EV cars and electric motorcycles and that should reduce air pollution'…

'Of course. On scooter always 4 people without helmets.' In cars only one person. Protect from Airbags'…

'The annual fires I think are the main cause – not saying smoke emitting vehicle don't contribute – both need to be controlled'…

'Plus xx million unregistered vehicles'…..



Thailand reconsiders reopening for tourists on July 1 - Pattaya Mail

Thailand reconsiders reopening for tourists on July 1

Pattaya MailMarch 24, 2021

Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul said that it is not yet clear if the country can reopen for tourists on 1 July, as the vaccination process itself takes time, and the overall COVID-19 situation must improve, with fewer patients, no severe cases and low infection rates.

Thailand's Minister of Public Health says that more COVID-19 vaccine doses from the latest shipment will be sent to tourism areas, such as Phuket and Koh Samui, while confirming there will be no changes to the announced measures for Songkran holidays, as the situation is under control.

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The Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul has revealed that more vaccines, from the recently arrived batch of 800,000 doses of Sinovac's vaccine from China, will be made available to tourism provinces, with 100,000 doses reserved for Phuket, 50,000 doses for Koh Samui, as well as more doses for second wave hotspot Samut Sakhon.



He said epidemiological factors are the most important when creating the vaccine distribution plan. However, the vaccine will also need to be given to villagers in tourism areas, in addition to healthcare workers, in order to stimulate economic activity.

The private sector in Phuket has recently requested 900,000 doses of vaccine to be made available to the province, in order to reopen the Andaman islands to international visitors.

The Minister of Public Health said this is highly feasible, as Thailand will be receiving 5 million doses of locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine in June, with 10 million doses per month expected afterwards.

Prior to June, Thailand will be receiving a shipment of another 1 million Sinovac doses from China.

Mr. Anutin said, however, that it is not yet clear if the country can reopen for tourists on 1 July, as the vaccination process itself takes time, and the overall COVID-19 situation must improve, with fewer patients, no severe cases and low infection rates. (NNT) 

BMA announces three strict measures during Songkran fest - The Nation

BMA announces three strict measures during Songkran fest

National

Mar 24. 2021

By The Nation

Bangkok announced three strict measures to control Covid-19 during the Songkran festival from April 10-15. Violators may be imprisoned for up to two years or fined up to Bt40,000 or both.

Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered the three measures, decided by the capital's communicable disease committee, following concern of a possible new Covid-19 outbreak during Songkran.

The measures are:

1) Traditional Songkran activities such as religious ceremonies and paying respects to one's elders can proceed as normal. But any activity with more than 300 persons needs to first gain permission from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration district office.

2) Organisers of any other activities during Songkran, such as a banquet with more than 100 participants, must submit an event plan and disease control measures to the district office before the event.

The event, if given the go-ahead, should be arranged in an open area with good ventilation. Activities in confined spaces or in air-conditioned rooms must be avoided. The organiser must also strictly refrain from activities that involve large groups of people that may lead to disorder, or activities involving close contact, such as group gatherings, splashing of water, concerts, or foam parties.

3) It is best to avoid catering to or socialising in groups, "lengthy" eating and drinking should be avoided. 

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Swedish travel bookings to Thailand increased by 150 percent - ScandAsia



Swedish travel bookings to Thailand increased by 150 percent

by Mette Larsen • March 23, 2021 • 0 Comments

Mette LarsenMarch 23, 2021

, , 

Swedish travelers are eager to travel abroad again, many are interested in traveling far despite the hassle of vaccinations and the most popular destination is still Thailand. According to Adam Györki communications manager at travel operator Tui, some departures to the land of smiles are already fully booked. 

So far the roll-out of the Covid-19 has been far from problem-free in Sweden with delayed deliveries, concerns about side effects, and hassle with booking appointments but this has not stopped Swedes from dreaming of tropical destinations and bookings for next winter's trip to Thailand is well underway. "We see a record inflow of bookings. Sales to Thailand have increased by 150 percent compared to last year," Adam Györki says to local media Aftonbladet. 

According to him, a trip to Thailand is on average about SEK 1,500 cheaper now compared to a year ago.

Fredrik Henriksson from competing travel operator Ving paints a similar picture. "For Thailand, we see an increase of almost 35 percent. The trend is even clearer among guests who are between 50 and 79 years old. There, bookings have gone up by almost 70 percent," he says.

He adds that they see that more people want to treat themselves to a little extra on the long-awaited holiday and they see that the best rooms at their popular concept hotels are being booked first.  

Thailands överlevnadsplan - Travel News

Thailands överlevnadsplan

Thailand tog emot 39,8 miljoner turister år 2019 men efter att Corona pandemin slog sina klor runt världen sjönk den siffran till 6,7 miljoner år 2020 med majoriteten av turistbesöken koncentrerade till det årets första tre månader.

Patrik Jerrestam Maila reporter

Sponsrad

2021-03-22 11:02 av

Det är en minskning på 83% och en katastrof för både landets ekonomi och sysselsättning, turismen beräknas stå för över 20% av landets BNP och en ännu större andel av befolkningen får sin huvudsakliga inkomst från turist sektorn.

Under oktober månad 2020 öppnade Thailand för att ta emot turister igen efter att ha varit stängt i nästan 6 månader. Många krav och restriktioner ställdes på de som var sugna på en resa till Thailand och där den stora stötestenen för de flesta var och fortfarande är en obligatorisk självfinansierad karantänsvistelse på 15 nätter.

Vi åkte trots det till Thailand i mitten av november 2020 och här är lite reflektioner från den resan.

Den stora skillnaden innan man sitter på planet till Thailand är att man utöver visum måste skaffa sig ett COE, Certificate Of Entry, till Thailand.
Det gör man online via den thailändska ambassadens hemsida och det innefattar bland annat en Covid försäkring, ett bokat och bekräftat karantänshotell samt lite pass och visumkopior.
Precis som med all information från myndigheter låter det hela mycket mer komplicerat än det egentligen är.

Vi flög till Thailand med Qatar Airways och efter ett rigoröst kontrollerande av alla dokument på Arlanda tilldelades vi ett kit med handskar, munskydd, handsprit och en skärm för att täcka ansiktet med under flygningen.

Sen gick flygningen precis lika smidigt som vanligt – mätta och belåtna klev vi av på Suvarnabhumi flygplatsen i Bangkok där vi möttes av en mindre armé med personal klädda i blåa skyddsdräkter.

Efter ytterligare kontroller av dokument, fit to fly intyg och PCR test så satt vi ganska snabbt i vår minibuss på väg till karantänshotellet i Bangkok som hette Well hotel. Hela processen på flygplatsen klarades av på cirka 90 minuter – vilket är ungefär samma tid det normalt brukar ta.

På karantänshotellet vidtog 15 nätter, eller om ni så vill 14 hela dagars karantän med helpension serverad på rummet. Efter 5 dagar – och ytterligare ett avklarat negativt PCR test – fick vi möjlighet att vistas på hotellets takterass under en timme varje dag.

Karantänshotellen finns runtom i Thailand, även på turistorter som Phuket och Koh Samui, och är vanliga hotell som uppfyller en rad krav från myndigheterna för att eliminera riskerna för eventuell smittspridning.

Man kan numera även tillbringa sin karantän på en golfresort om man vill träna sin drive eller gå en runda på banan – ensam förstås.

Det är flera projekt på gång angående karantänstiden, ett är redan genomfört och det är att de 15 nätternas karantän inte längre räknas in i visumtiden, oavsett om du får ditt 30 dagars visum automatiskt på Bangkoks flygplats eller ansöker om visum innan avresa, alla visum får numera 15 dagar extra i Thailand för att kompensera för tiden i karantän.
Kostnaden för karantänen varierar beroende på vilket hotell och paket man valt, priserna startar på cirka 7 500SEK för ett enkelt karantänspaket och sen går det uppåt men det ingår alltid helpension, minst två covidtester och transfer från flygplatsen till hotellet i karantänspaketen.

Turismsektorn i landet har stimulerats med skatteförmåner och andra incentiv för lokalbefolkningen och det har i viss mån hjälpt företag inom turistsektorn att klara krisen.
Phuket har drabbats mycket hårt av de uteblivna turistströmmarna och där har branschen nu gått samman för att finansiera vaccininköp på världsmarknaden.
Genom det hoppas man se till att minst 70% av öns vuxna befolkning vaccineras under de närmsta månaderna för att på så vis uppnå flockimmunitet till den 1 oktober. Efter det hoppas man kunna öppna upp för  vaccinerade turister att resa till ön utan 14 dagars karantän.

Hela Thailands befolkning ska enligt myndigheterna vaccineras men det beräknas inte vara slutfört innan utgången av 2022.
"Vi kan inte vänta så länge, måste vi vänta kommer vi inte att överleva" säger Bhumkitti Ruktaengnam till Bloomberg, han är ordförande i Phuket Tourist Association som representerar mer än 300 hotell och turistföretag på ön "Missar vi detta års högsäsong också får vi vänta ytterligare ett år och det går inte"
Phukets plan väntar på godkännande från myndigheterna innan de kan skrida till verket.

Hur som helst är det klart är att det brådskar med att få fart på turismen igen, enligt Thai Hotels Association (THA) så är bara 30 – 40 procent av hotellen på stora turistdestinationer som Phuket, Koh Samui och Chiang Mai fortfarande operativa och även de börjar nu få rejäla likviditetsproblem.

Av: Stefan Christensen/Destination Asien i samarbete med TAT. 

There is a direct corelation between education and a person's ability to earn, according to a survey by the National Statistical Office of Thailand. The Nation



😱😱😱😱😱😱

 

Government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said that Thais were free to travel at Songkran - it was the government's way of giving happiness to the people, reported INN News.

 

It was true that the CCSA (Covid steering committee) had recommended no water splashing, no concerts, no powder and no foam parties but that didn't mean travel was off the table.

 

She said that Thais were free to travel to their villages or go off for tourism jaunts as they pleased.

 

Though this should be along the lines of the "new normal".

 

She said that Monday 12th had been declared a special extra holiday meaning that from Saturday 10th to Thursday 15th was a six day Songkran holiday.

 

INN made no comment about what many Thai watchers will feel - that expecting Thais to return to work on Friday 16th is unrealistic; Thaivisa notes that most non-government workers not required to be in work will consider Songkran 2021 to be a nine day break.

 

INN further reported that tourism minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan would be proposing two Songkran schemes to the cabinet namely the "Tour Thailand" plan and phase three of the "Let's Travel Together" plan.

 

Loopholes that led to widespread corruption of the latter have now been plugged, said the media. 

 

 

 

Thailand reported 401 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, a huge surge in new cases compared to previous weeks. Thai Visa

 

 

Thailand reported 401 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, a huge surge in new cases compared to previous weeks.

 

Of the new cases, 337 were local transmissions, while 18 were imported from people entering quarantine. 46 others were found from  contact tracing. 

 

A further 103 people were discharged from hospital having made a full recovery.

 

1,419 people remain in hospital or held in a migrant worker quarantine centre.

 

1 more death was also reported. 

 

Most of the new cases are linked to an outbreak at immigration detention centres in Bangkok at Bang Khen and Suan Plu.

 

Tuesday's cases bring the total number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand to 28,277 with 92 deaths.