Thailand’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) explained today (Monday) that Thailand is entering phase 2 of the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions.
This week, proactive screening will continue as intensely as it has been over the past fortnight. The number of daily new cases will, hopefully, start to decrease. If the trend goes as expected, the country will see more relaxation of restrictions next week.
Today, Thailand recorded 836 new COVID-19 cases, with 4 imported cases from the United States, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Malaysia. There are 7,027 people receiving treatment, 11 of whom are in a critical condition.
In Samut Sakhon, the rising number of new cases over the past few days is the result of proactive screening in the “bright red” areas of the province, namely Ta-Sai and Khlong Madua sub-districts, where there are many factories, each employing over 10,000 people.
The most important measure is to create a bubble around the bright red zone, dubbed the “egg yolk”. The infected will be confined to the area, in which there are communities, markets, sports’ fields and private residences. Restrictions on movements remain very strict around this area.
In Bangkok, there has been proactive screening in several districts and, as of today, over 10,000 people have been checked, with 45 people found to be infected. The CCSA deputy spokesperson, Dr. Apisamai Srirangsan, said the figures indicate that the outbreak is under control in the capital itself.
The focus of today’s CCSA briefing was Maha Sarakham province. Ratchaburi province recorded two new cases, both related to a Maha Sarakham cluster, which has led to 16 infections to date.
The first case in Maha Sarakham, believed to have been infected in Bangkok, stopped in Nakorn Ratchasima, on the way back to Maha Sarakham and infected eight more people. The person was very active and attended social gatherings after arriving back in Maha Sarakham, placing over a hundred people at risk of infection.
There are still 14 provinces with no recorded COVID-19 cases, while 42 provinces have not recorded any new cases in the past seven days.
The spokesperson said CCSA understands that eateries are experiencing hardship under the current disease control measures. She called for their owners to propose measures they can enforce to make sure their customers adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines.
Dr. Apisamai asked the public to follow the information on restrictions in each area very closely. She asked the market owners to enforce hygiene measures very strictly for vendors and customers.
While Thailand cannot expect no new cases to appear, she saidthat Thailand needs to find those who are infected as early as possible and identify their movements immediately.
