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Samut Sakhon outbreak hits New Year hotel bookings (nationthailand.com)

Samut Sakhon outbreak hits New Year hotel bookings

NationalDec 22. 2020Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association 

By The Nation

Thailand’s domestic tourism market has been rocked by the outbreak of Covid-19 in Samut Sakhon province that has so far spawned more than 1,000 cases and threatened New Year celebrations across the country.

Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association, said the surge in infections has hit hotel bookings for New Year holidays. Many tourists have cancelled advance bookings, leaving hotels to foot the bill for singers, performers and DJs already booked for New Year celebrations.

The outbreak is expected to hurt the hospitality business in Bangkok and Hat Yai in the South, both of which are heavily dependent on foreign tourists. In Bangkok some hotels are bustling, but many have remained closed since the start of the virus crisis in early 2020 and are unlikely to open soon given New Year countdowns may be cancelled.

New Year domestic tourism in secondary cities such as Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani will likely be less badly hit. But hotels in Buriram, which is reliant on organised events, are expected to suffer a heavy impact over New Year from the outbreak.

Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said that before the Samut Sakhon outbreak, domestic tourism was on course to hit 100 million trips in 2020. That target has now been lowered to 95 million trips, generating income of Bt500 billion. Meanwhile the number of foreign tourists this year is expected to be around 6.7 million people, generating revenue of Bt330 billion, for total annual tourism revenue of Bt830 billion.

Yuthasak said tourists still wanted to holiday in popular destinations like Phetchaburi, Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan at New Year, but might have to adjust their travel plans to avoid risky areas like Samut Sakhon.

“Many may also change their travel plans to long-distance destinations that require a flight for the New Year’s holiday,” he added.

TAT’s latest tracker report shows that just 1,201 foreign tourists entered Thailand in October, a fall of 99.96 per cent compared to the same month last year. Meanwhile domestic tourists in November totalled just over 16 million (16,017,165), an increase of 10.4 per cent from a year earlier and up 2.63 per cent from October.

November’s hotel occupancy rate was 37.56 per cent, a fall of 32.77 per cent from a year earlier but up 3.5 per cent from October.

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Health officials focus on potential cases in Chiang Mai (nationthailand.com)

Health officials focus on potential cases in Chiang Mai

NationalDec 22. 2020

By The Nation

The Chiang Mai Office of Disease Prevention and Control 1 as well as Chiang Mai Municipality officials began collecting samples for Covid-19 tests from migrant workers in the Muang Mai market area on Tuesday.

Muang Mai is the largest seafood and fresh food market in the province.

Some 2,500 people work in the market, of whom 1,500 are migrant workers. The market serves no less than 10,000 customers daily. However, since the Covid-19 outbreak earlier this year, there have been no new workers or transfer of labour in the area.

Meanwhile, some 200 people were seen queuing up for tests on Tuesday.

Dr Chatuchai Maneerat from the Provincial Public Health Office said the recent outbreak in Samut Sakhon has raised awareness in Chiang Mai about high-risk groups. Vendors who get their supplies from Samut Sakhon’s Mahachai area as well as migrant workers living in cramped conditions are most at risk.

Separately, results on more than 300 samples taken at Kamthiang Market and Pa Pae community have come out negative. Though this indicates that these areas are relatively safe, full investigation is still required.

Tests will be conducted in 10 new locations, Dr Chatuchai said, adding that news of a positive case travelling from Ayutthaya province to Chiang Mai’s Mae Ai district was of great concern. Health officials have inspected at-risk areas in Mae Ai district, including the Malika and Tha Ton subdistricts. So far, 145 people have been confirmed as negative. Health officials will spend another three days collecting samples before confirming the situation.

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Details on movements of Nonthaburi Covid case made public (nationthailand.com)

Details on movements of Nonthaburi Covid case made public

NationalDec 22. 2020

By THE NATION

The Public Health Ministry on Tuesday released a timeline detailing the movements of a 63-year-old man in Nonthaburi province who tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday.

The man, who lives with his wife in Nonthaburi’s Muang district, has come in close contact with 15 people, who are being tracked by officials.

According to the official timeline, the man had come in contact with Myanmar migrant workers, who worked on a refurbishment job on December 3 and 11. Some workers had a cough and did not wear face masks at all times.

On the evening of December 11, the patient attended a party held by Saksiam International.

On December 12, he attended a meeting at a private company in Rangsit area at 10am, and then dined with his wife at a restaurant in Muang Thong Thani at 7pm. By then he had developed symptoms of fatigue and was suffering from diarrhoea.

On December 13, he visited his son’s home in the Venue Flow housing estate in Muang province where he reportedly touched four members of the son’s family. His son later took him for a massage to help with his fatigue.

In the evening, the patient attended a party at Arnoma Grand Hotel in Bangkok and came in contact with 22 people. During that time, the man had run to the toilet around six times from diarrhoea.

On December 14, the patient stayed at home. He was unable to eat and passed blood in his stool twice.

On December 15, he stayed in again but held online meetings with his colleagues.

On December 16, he spent most of the day at home, but dined at a restaurant in Nonthaburi’s Prachachuen area at 7pm and at 8pm, he went to The Mall Ngamwongwan complex and entered a Nike shop.

On December 17, he travelled to his other house in Bang Yai district and returned at 4pm.

On December 18 and 19, he stayed at home.

On December 20, he took his wife to Thansamritwittaya School in the province, where she cast her vote for the provincial administration organisation (PAO) chief. After that, he went to another election station in Bang Yai district to exercise his own ballot.

At 3pm that day, he drove to Bang Bua Thong Hospital to undergo a Covid-19 check. The following day, test results showed he had coronavirus.

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8 test positive in Samut Songkram after returning from hotspot Samut Sakhon (nationthailand.com)

8 test positive in Samut Songkram after returning from hotspot Samut Sakhon

NationalDec 22. 2020

By THE NATION

As of 11am on Tuesday, Samut Songkram’s public health officer Dr Santhit Booyasong said eight people had tested positive for Covid-19 in the province.

He made this announcement at a provincial outbreak prevention meeting chaired by governor Charas Boonnasa.

“The eight are among 91 high-risk persons tested after visiting Samut Sakhon, where an outbreak has erupted,” he said.

“Of the eight confirmed cases, six had visited Talay Thai market, while one visited Big C and Lotus in Mahachai, and one went to Central in Mahachai. They are all Thai nationals.

“Nine other persons are being tested for a second time to confirm the result at Somdet Phraphutthalertla Hospital,” added Santhit. “Public health officers will continue to trace and test persons who are at high risk and have prepared a temporary quarantine facility at Amphawa Hospital in case more infections are found.”

Samut Sakhon governor Veerasak Vichitsangsri said on Tuesday that the number of infected people in the province had risen to 1,063.

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Royal Irrigation Dept closes for deep clean after engineer tests positive (nationthailand.com)

Royal Irrigation Dept closes for deep clean after engineer tests positive

NationalDec 22. 2020

By The Nation

An engineer at the Royal Irrigation Department had himself tested after losing his sense of smell and the result came out positive. He had previously visited a market in Samut Sakhon.

The department, meanwhile, has closed its 14-storey building in Bangkok’s Samsen area for a day to give it a deep clean.

“Every employee will also be strictly screened,” the department said.

The engineer’s movements have been tracked and the timeline is as follows:

• December 13: Arrived in Samut Sakhon to dine with his family at the Krua Chaophraya Restaurant before stopping off at an ice-cream parlour in Mahachai subdistrict.

• December 14-17: Went to work as normal.

• December 18-20: Visited Si Sa Ket province to cast his vote for the provincial administration organisation poll.

• December 21: Went to work in the morning and was instructed by his supervisor to take a Covid-19 test.

• December 22: He tests positive for Covid-19.

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Samut Sakhon outbreak has domino effect on seafood sales in Chiang Mai (nationthailand.com)

Samut Sakhon outbreak has domino effect on seafood sales in Chiang Mai

NationalDec 22. 2020

By THE NATION

The sale of seafood in Chiang Mai’s Muang Mai market is reportedly suffering after there was an explosion of Covid-19 cases in Samut Sakhon’s stemming from one of its main shrimp markets.

Muang Mai is the largest seafood market in Chiang Mai, and many vendors said on Tuesday morning that their sales had dropped sharply after news of the virus broke out.

Vendor Payong Wanamkang said his sales has fallen by 20 to 30 per cent, adding that his employees, who are migrant workers, wear gloves and face masks at all times.

Other vendors have also put up signs saying their seafood does not originate from Samut Sakhon in a bid to convince customers.

As of Tuesday, 427 new cases were detected, 397 of whom were migrant workers, which took the total number of cases in the latest outbreak above 1,000.

Nearly 90 per cent of the positive cases were migrant workers, Samut Sakhon governor Veerasak Vichitsangsri said.

The rate of positive results has improved from 40 per cent three days ago to 27.91 per cent on Tuesday.

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Court dismisses lese majeste charge against mother of activist Sirawith (nationthailand.com)

Court dismisses lese majeste charge against mother of activist Sirawith

NationalDec 22. 2020

By The Nation

The Criminal Court has dismissed a lese majeste charge against Patnaree Charnkij, the mother of political activist Sirawith “Ja New” Seritiwat.

Police had accused her of replying “Ja” (Yeah) to Burin Intin, a lese majeste suspect, in a private Facebook message on March 12, 2016. Burin was later jailed for 11 years over the post.

Police said Patnaree’s single-word response constituted an offence under Section 112 of the criminal code, also known as the lese majeste law.

However, the court’s examination of the case found Patnaree had no intention to undermine members of Thai royal family. Academics who inspected the evidence said that the comment “Ja” could not be interpreted as a lese majeste violation.

Patnaree burst into tears on hearing the not guilty verdict, saying that she should not have been accused in the first place and was only targeted because of her son Sirawith’s activities.

Sirawith is leader of the Resistant Citizen group and a well-known critic of the military junta that ruled at the time of his mother’s arrest. He has been attacked and beaten several times by anonymous assailants in what observers suspect are attempts to silence his criticism of authorities.

Patnaree asked the prosecutor not to appeal the case as it had already been heard behind closed doors by a military court, before being transferred to the civilian court.

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Govt considers implementing new law on communicable diseases in 2021 (nationthailand.com)

Govt considers implementing new law on communicable diseases in 2021

NationalDec 22. 2020Anutin Charnvirakul 

By The Nation

The government plans to implement a new law on communicable diseases to empower the disease control committee into new issuing measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 next year, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Tuesday.

He said this move was in response to criticism over the use of emergency decree, adding that Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has checked the new act thoroughly.

“We believe that if the situation does not worsen, we will suspend the emergency decree and implement the new act after New Year holidays,” he said.

He said it was not necessary to launch additional measures during this time, adding that the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has the situation under control.

He also said that people who have symptoms can take a free Covid-19 test at hospitals. “The ministry will get reimbursement from the National Health Security Office,” he added.

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Nobody broke out of quarantine facility, insists Samut Sakhon governor (nationthailand.com)

Nobody broke out of quarantine facility, insists Samut Sakhon governor

NationalDec 22. 2020

By The Nation

Samut Sakhon governor has dismissed online rumours that migrant workers broke down a wall to escape the quarantine facility.

Governor Veerasak Vichitsangsri, who also chairs the Provincial Communicable Diseases Committee, said there is an old broken wall in the area, but it has been secured with razor wire and is guarded by police.

He said people could not escape anyway, because the entire area was guarded round the clock by soldiers and police officers.

“I urge people not to worry about disease control measures in the province. However, they can still notify the authorities if they find any violators. The Disease Control Committee will take the strongest action based on the Disease Control Act and other related laws if there are any violators,” Veerasak added.

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Bangkok orders strict implementation of Covid-19 measures in public places (nationthailand.com)

Bangkok orders strict implementation of Covid-19 measures in public places

NationalDec 22. 2020

By THE NATION

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on Monday ordered strict implementation of measures at four public spaces – markets, parks, religious places and entertainment venues – in the capital.

The order requires operators of each place to provide health measures to staff and visitors, such as space for social distancing, temperature checking and hand sanitising gel.

Visitors and staff are also ordered to wear face masks, and the places must be cleaned regularly.

Besides, the operators must collect visitors’ information for tracking, and run a queue system, particularly at parks and entertainment venues.

Under the announcement, entertainment venues – pubs, bars and karaokes – face the greatest challenge to strictly implement the measures.

In addition to the “new normal” measures, operators of entertainment venues are required to limit their customer numbers, with at least four cubic metres for one person. Group customers should be limited to a maximum of five persons.

Singers or other staff are prohibited from being close to customers. Nevertheless, the singers and dancers are allowed to dance on stage.

The BMA also has banned entertainment venues from running promotions of products they sell. Serving of drinks in mugs or other sharing containers are prohibited, while customers are not allowed to bring their drinks into the venues.

The BMA has urged the operators to install CCTV cameras at their venues, and ordered them to save the footage for at least one month before deletion.