An Islamic boarding school, in Thailand’s southern border province of Yala, has been ordered to close after many students were found infected with COVID-19.

The Dawah Centre of Thailand, in Sateng Nok sub-district, also houses the madrasa, where Muslim children in the province, and from other southern provinces, have been staying to study the Koran.

Provincial health officials said that the Dawah Centre, which is also a masjid, is a new cluster of COVID-19 infections and is under close watch. 35 people in Yala have been infected to date, including students and others who attended prayers at the masjid.

Officials said that the disease has spread to other provinces, including Satun, Surat Thani, Pattani and Krabi, as people went to the centre to pray, bringing the total infections of the cluster to 60.