The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported 72 new COVID-19 cases today, including 37 in Samut Sakhon province.

The new infections include 9 among arrivals from abroad in state quarantine and 63 locally-acquired cases. Cumulative infections, since early last year, are 25,881, with 25,022 recoveries. The death toll remains at 83.

Of the imported cases, 3 came from United Kingdom and the rest from Iran, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Ghana and Myanmar.

Of the 63 locally-acquired cases, 37 are in Samut Sakhon, 14 in Pathum Thani, 5 in Bangkok, 4 in Tak, 2 in Nakhon Pathom and 1 case in Ayutthaya.

According to the Samut Sakhon provincial health office, 37 new cases, which include 22 Thais and 15 Myanmar migrant workers, were recorded today, raising total infections in this coastal province, since December 15th, to 16,309, but 15,984 of them have recovered. The death toll in the province is seven.

The central shrimp market, which was the original source of second outbreak in the province, is scheduled to reopen on Sunday, after its closure in mid-December, after the market has completed a major facelift, designed to reduce the risk of new infections and to restore confidence among vendors and customers.

Each vendor’s stall is now protected by transparent plastic partitions and each stall has a waiting space for customers,which also have plastic partitions.  All customers are required to have their temperatures checked and to wash their hands with sanitizer gel, while vendors and their employers are required to wear face masks at all times.

Mr. Chatuphon Monmala, coordinator of the market, said that maximum safety measures have been imposed in the market adding, however, that some customers may still be reluctant to revisit the market and it may take a little more time for them to feel safe enough to return.

As for the dormitories at the shrimp market, which normally house Myanmar migrant workers, the provincial health office has limited the number of people in each room to four and each room must have a garbage bin or a plastic bag to collect garbage for proper disposal.

Over-occupancy of the dormitories has been blamed for rapid spread of infections among the migrant workers, although most of the cases are asymptomatic.