Thailand’s coronavirus cases jumped 527 in the past 24 hours, the government said Tuesday, bringing the total to 8,966 since the start of the pandemic. Five provinces are now under the strictest level of lockdown, according to an official.
Of the 527 new cases, 82 were local infections while 439 were found in migrant worker dormitories. The rest were in state quarantine.
The virus has now spread to 56 provinces, with Singhburi in the centre and Nan in the north the latest to report cases.
Five provinces were now under “the strictest” lockdown measures, the government spokesman Thaweesin Visanuyothin told reporters. The provinces are Samut Sakhon, Rayong, Chonburi, Chanthaburi and Trat.
Samut Sakhon, west of Bangkok, continues to be the hardest-hit province with 2,871 cases, followed by Rayong to the east with 363 cases, neighbouring Chonburi with 336 cases, and Bangkok with 245 cases.
The initial Samut Sakhon cluster has spread to 45 provinces, with 86 cases in Bangkok and 38 cases in Nakhon Pathom attributed to the initial outbreak.
Other outbreak clusters including the gambling den in Chonburi and Rayong have contributed to the spread of the disease as well.
Several detained people smugglers tested positive for the virus, Thaweesin said. The spokesman also implored people to take the outbreak seriously. Those violating curfew and still frequenting gambling dens and hosting gambling games were contributing to the burden that the country faces, he said.
Total numbers
Of Thailand’s 8,966 cases since 5 January 2020, a total of 6,900 were found locally, including 2,476 migrant workers. Of the 2,066 imported cases, 1,532 were found inside quarantine facilities, with the remainder including people who illegally entered the country. Forty-five people have recovered in the past 24 hours, which brings the total of confirmed recoveries to 4,397.
Clusters and provinces
The 82 new locally transmitted cases were highest in Samut Sakhon, Nonthaburi and Bangkok with 31, 20 and 15 respectively. This was followed by Surat Thani at 6 cases then Sing Buri 3, Ayutthaya 2 and one case each in Phetchaburi, Surin, Suphan Buri, Nakhon Pathom and Nan.
All 439 cases that were found in migrant dormitories and via active case findings were in Samut Sakhon.
Additional prevention measures
The government is now asking people in all 77 provinces to keep social distancing, wear masks, wash their hands, check their temperatures and get tested if necessary, as well as to use the government COVID-tracing app Thai Cha Na. Authorities are also requesting people to self-quarantine if they have been to high-risk areas.
For the 28 provinces in partial lockdown, the additional measures since January 4 are as follows: Restaurants and street food vendors may only sell takeaway food between 9 pm and 6 am; checkpoints will screen travellers between those 28 provinces; and a possible field hospital will be built if cases continue to increase, modelled on the one in Samut Sakhon.