BANGKOK (AP) – Thailand reported 527 new coronavirus cases, most of them migrant workers already isolated, and the government said it is tightening people’s movements across the country.
Thailand is facing a sudden rise in viruses after months of few cases of domestic transmission. Field hospitals were established in parts of five provinces with many cases.
Large parts of the country, including the capital Bangkok, are subject to various lockdown restrictions, and the government said it will also limit travel between virus-stricken provinces to goods, freight and necessary travel, and set up checkpoints on some roads.
Of the new cases confirmed Tuesday, 439 were migrants, 82 local deployments and six had been quarantined, the COVID-19 Situation Administration center said. The total was down from the 745 recorded Monday, the all-time high in Thailand, where the first case of the virus was detected outside of China last January.
Most of the increase since last month took place in Samut Sakhon province, next to Bangkok, among migrant workers living in dormitories and working in fish markets and factories. A field hospital next to the market treats the infected migrants.
Although it has canceled public activities and gatherings and closed schools, bars and other places where people gather, the government has not yet taken measures as strict as the ones it imposed in March – when they successfully banned the local broadcast .
Shopping malls and department stores will remain open requiring social distance, and indoor dining in restaurants is allowed until 9pm
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha begged people to stay at home instead.
“We don’t want to lock up the whole country because we know what the problems are, so can you all lock up?” he said. “This is up to everyone, if you don’t want to get infected, stay home for 14 to 15 days.”
The government is also trying to get more vaccines after an initial period of complacency.
Prayuth said on Monday that Thailand wants to bring in 63 million doses, which wouldn’t cover half of the population of about 70 million. So far, approximately 28 million doses are on order for later in the year.
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:
– Sri Lankan authorities say they will fully reopen the country’s two international airports and allow for the return of tourists undergoing coronavirus tests from January 21. Foreign tourists were banned in March when the first wave of COVID-19 surfaced. During a pilot project last month, hundreds of tourists from Ukraine were allowed to end up in a ‘travel bubble’. Under the new program, tourists must be tested in their country 72 hours prior to their flight, upon arrival at their hotel and seven days later. Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said Tuesday that the decision to reopen airports and tourism was taken because of the plight of people dependent on the tourism industry. Tourism accounts for about 5% of Sri Lanka’s GDP and employs 250,000 people directly and up to 2 million indirectly. Sri Lanka has reported 45,498 COVID-19 cases, including 215 deaths.
– Qantas Airways has started selling seats on international flights from July 1, despite the Australian government’s ban on most residents from leaving the country. Australia’s flagship airline said on Tuesday that it is selling tickets in the expectation that international travel will “resume from July”. “We continue to review and update our international schedule in response to the evolving COVID-19 situation,” said a statement. Since March, Australia has prevented most of its citizens and residents from leaving so that they do not return the coronavirus to the island. Travelers from New Zealand are the only ones who have been saved 14 days in hotel quarantine upon arrival in Australia in recognition of the closest neighbor’s success in fighting the virus. Australian Transport Minister Michael McCormack said the borders will be reopened when international arrivals pose no risk to Australians. “Decisions about when to resume international travel are being made by the Australian government,” McCormack said in a statement.
– China has designated parts of Hebei province near Beijing as a risk zone for the coronavirus after 14 new cases of COVID-19 were found. Eleven of those fell in Shijiazhuang city. Parts of the city will undergo more rigorous testing and isolation measures, and parts of another city in Hebei with new cases have been registered as medium-risk areas. Medical researchers examined whether a single event, such as a family gathering, was the cause of many of the cases. Wary of a new wave of infections, China is urging migrant workers to stay during the Chinese New Year holiday. Classes are fired early and tourists are told not to come to Beijing for vacation.
Indonesia will begin vaccinations against COVID-19 on January 13, with President Joko Widodo as the first recipient. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Tuesday that other ministers will receive the vaccine after the president. The next day begins a broader program prioritizing 1.3 million health workers and 17.4 million public officials. Sinovac Biotech’s vaccine in China has yet to receive emergency use approval from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency and halal approval from the Indonesian Ulema Council. The Department of Health says it will take 15 months to vaccinate the total population of 181.5 million people. On Tuesday, the country reported 7,445 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the confirmed total to 779,548, including 23,109 deaths.
India has reported 20 additional cases of a new fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus originally found in Britain, bringing the total to 58. Health officials have not said whether the infections have been found in people who have returned from the UK or have been spread locally. However, generally confirmed cases of the coronavirus remain on a downturn since it peaked in mid-September. India has reported more than 10.3 million cases and more than 150,000 deaths. It is planning a large-scale vaccination program soon that will target about 300 million people by August. The government has approved emergency applications for two vaccines, one developed by the University of Oxford and the British drug company AstraZeneca, and another by the Indian company Bharat Biotech and a government agency. The Indian vaccine was hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a success in India’s self-reliance, but has sparked controversy as the country’s regulator has not published information on its efficacy. The All India Drug Action Network watchdog said it was “baffled to understand the scientific logic” in approving “an incompletely studied vaccine.”