Thousands of people lined up for coronavirus tests in a province near Bangkok, while Thai authorities tried to contain an outbreak of the virus that infected nearly 700 people
Triple rows of mostly migrant workers stretched about 100 meters in one site alone, in Mahachai in Samut Sakhon Province, while health officials in mobile units methodically took nasal swabs. There were a total of three sites in the area.
Nearby, barbed wire and police guards blocked access to the Klang Koong, or Central Shrimp, fish market – one of Thailand’s largest – and its enclosure, the epicenter of the new cluster.
Thailand’s disease control department said on Sunday that they had found 141 more cases linked to the market outbreak. On Saturday, the department reported 548 cases, the largest daily spike in Thailand, causing shock waves from a country that has seen only a small number of infections in recent months due to strict border and quarantine controls.
The new outbreak can be traced back to a 67-year-old shrimp seller in the fish market.
Health officials say most of those infected are migrant workers from Myanmar. The workers live close to the market in overcrowded accommodations, raising concerns that the virus could spread exponentially.
Samut Sakhon is located 34 kilometers (21 miles) southwest of Bangkok, the capital.
Samut Sakhon governor has imposed a curfew and other travel restrictions until January 3. Many public places in the county, including shopping centers, schools, movie theaters, spas, and sports stadiums, are closed.
The Mahachai fish market was lethargic as unemployed workers hung out unable to leave the area. Food supplies were brought to the entrance but had to be unloaded. Masked residents of the houses around the market piled provisions on carts and took them with them.
For some, the care was economic.
“I’m worried because I can’t do anything and my employees can’t go outside, so we can’t do anything. The loss is enormous, ”said a seafood trader, 55-year-old Thanawan Watchanapraphan.
Wanida Imphanchai, another trader, paced near the blocked entrance to the market and told police on duty that she had undergone a negative coronavirus test a few days ago and would be allowed to leave. She showed them the document on her phone, but they politely declined her request.
“How can I live like this? The virus is coming but I cannot see it. If anything happens to me, it gets messy, ”Wanida said before walking away.
With fewer than 5,000 cases and 60 deaths, Thailand has largely managed to control the virus. Before the current outbreak, there were very few cases of local transmission in recent months as life largely returned to normal.