The Chanthaburi Provincial Public Health Office launched urgent measures on Monday to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, asking people who had visited risky areas to monitor their symptoms.
The office added that people who have respiratory symptoms, such as fever, cough or runny nose should undergo self-quarantine, wear face mask and see the doctor.
Areas that posed a risk for infection and the dates when people carrying the virus had visited those places are as follows:
1. All gambling areas nationwide from December 14-26.
2. Chanthaburi Bus Terminal on December 20 from 4pm to 5pm.
3. Suea Hoi restaurant in Rayong’s Muang district on December 22 from 9pm to 10pm.
4. A restaurant inside Thet Banthoeng theatre in Rayong’s Muang district on December 23 from 6pm to 7pm.
5. Wat Pa Khlong Kung on December 20 and 26 from 1pm to 3pm.
Chanthaburi on Tuesday reported three new Covid-19 cases of persons who had visited gambling den in Rayong.
They were two males aged 34 and 54, and a 53-year-old woman. Two patients lived in Muang Chanthaburi district, while another one lived in Makham and Muang Chanthaburi district.
“We would like to ask people who visited risky areas in Rayong on December 14-15 to show themselves to health workers or the village headman, so that we can contain the spread of Covid-19 as soon as possible,” an official in the province said.
The baht opened at 30.13 to the US dollar on Tuesday, strengthening from 30.16 at close on Monday, Poon Panichpibool, Krungthai Bank’s markets strategist, said.
The strengthening of the baht was in line with the rise of other Asian currencies, after the US stimulus package was approved, he said.
He added that the baht would move in a range between Bt30.05 and Bt30.20 to the US dollar, as transactions were low at the end of the year.
Police in Lampang province found the charred body of a man in a burning house, in a suspected case of self-immolation.
Ngao Police Station was alerted on Monday to the fire at a house in Ban Mai Jaroen Suk village in Luang Tai subdistrict of Ngao district.
Firefighters took around 10 minutes to put out the flames in the wooden two-storey house.
Police found the charred body of Sawas Wikaha, aged 59 years, a farmer and owner of the house in the damaged house. Police contacted his wife who reportedly said that they had separated for about four months. Sawas reportedly went to her and asked to get back together before the incident, but she refused.
One of the deceased’s relatives reportedly told officials that Sawas had been under a lot of stress after splitting up with his wife and they earlier had caught him buying a bottle of gasoline but he did not reveal the purpose. They took away the gasoline from him, but they suspected that Sawas might have bought a new bottle.
Police are investigating other evidence and have sent the body for autopsy to determine the cause of death.
National Police chief Pol General Suwat Jangyodsuk on Monday signed an order transferring four senior police officers of Muang Rayong police station to the Provincial Police Operation Centre 2, a news source revealed.
The four officers will no longer serve under their original command and will remain under the chief of Provincial Police Operation Centre 2 until further notice, as per the order.
Rayong police chief Pol Maj-General Paphatdet Ketphan had earlier been shifted to an inactive post after health authorities tracked more than 90 cases and one death in the eastern province to illegal gambling.
The four senior officers who have been shunted away are:
Pol Lt-Colonel Kiattiphong Kromkhunthod, the superintendent (crime suppression);
Pol Lt-Colonel Kosol Kerdmanee, superintendent (investigation);
Pol Lt-Colonel Khamphan Kwanthong, inspector (investigation);
Pol Colonel Thana Wisetchai, inspector (crime suppression).
The Royal Thai Police will set up an investigation committee to look into the matter for possible dereliction of duty or abuse of power by police officers, added the source.