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More rain forecast for South, while temperature in upper Thailand to see further drop

NationalJan 01. 2021

By THE NATION

The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Friday that the strong high-pressure system covering upper Thailand would result in cool to cold weather with strong winds.

Temperature is expected to fall 2-4 degrees Celsius in the North and 1-3°C in the Northeast.

Meanwhile, a strong northeast monsoon prevails over the Gulf and the South, bringing more rain and isolated heavy rain in the South. Waves in the Gulf are expected to be 2-3 metres high and four metres high in thundershowers. All ships in the Gulf should proceed with caution and small boats should keep ashore until January 3, the department said.

The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

North: Cool to cold weather; minimum temperature 9-16°C, maximum 24-28°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 2-10°C.

Northeast: Cool to cold weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 9-14°C, maximum 23-26°C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 4-8°C.

Central: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 16-18°C, maximum 27-29°C.

East: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 16-21°C, maximum 28-30°C; waves 2-3 metres high and three metres offshore.

South (east coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 20-24°C, maximum 28-30°C; waves 2-3 metres high and four metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; minimum temperature 22-24°C, maximum 29-32°C; waves 1-2 metres high and two metres during thundershowers.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Cool weather with strong winds; minimum temperature 17-18°C, maximum 28-31°C.

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Cross-country bus driver tests positive, passengers urged to get tested

NationalJan 01. 2021

By THE NATION

An interprovincial bus driver has tested positive for Covid-19 in Rayong, health authorities said on Thursday.

The driver operated on the Nakhonchai Air service between Chiang Mai and Rayong. Authorities have urged travellers who took the bus between December 17 and 31 to report to local health officials.

Close contacts of the infected driver are being traced and tested. Meanwhile the bus on the driver’s route have been sterilised.

Rayong recorded 77 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total in the eastern province during the latest outbreak to 279. The cases were mostly local residents but also included 16 migrant workers and one medic.

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Thailand to get 2m doses of vaccine from Feb: Anutin

NationalDec 31. 2020Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul

By The Nation

The first batch of 2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine will arrive in Thailand from February, said Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday.

The first group of Thais to be vaccinated will be community public health volunteers, as they are in the front line of the virus battle, said Anutin. He has instructed the Food and Drug Administration to prepare regulations for the vaccine’s approval.

Anutin did not identify the manufacturer of Thailand’s first batch but said the ministry had negotiated a purchase price of US$17 per dose. Next week it will ask the Cabinet to approve a Bt1.17 billion budget for procurement of the 2 million doses.

The ministry had also made efforts to procure vaccine fromas many sources as possible, said Anutin.

The ministry is negotiating with AstraZeneca for an additional 26 million doses on top of the purchase agreement in November for the first batch of 26 million doses.

Thailand is currently struggling with a fresh outbreak of the virus.

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Protest leader ‘Toto’ among 12 arrested for selling prawn to help farmers

NationalDec 31. 2020

By THE NATION

Pro-democracy activist Piyarat “Toto” Chongthep, founder of the We Volunteer (Wevo) network of protest guards, was reportedly among a group arrested at Bangkok’s Sanam Luang at around noon on Thursday as they tried to sell over 5 tonnes of fresh prawn.

“The group expected to sell prawns worth over Bt800,000 at Sanam Luang to passers-by during the New Year countdown in a bid to help seafood farmers hit by the Covid-19 crisis in Samut Sakhon, one of Thailand’s largest seafood producing provinces,” said a source.

According to witnesses, police confronted Wevo members at 11am and said they were violating the ban on unauthorised public gatherings at Sanam Luang, where selling of products is also prohibited. Police also said that under the current emergency decree, holding a public gathering is punishable by to two years in jail or a Bt40,000 fine.

Police arrested Piyarat and members of his group and took them to Border Patrol Police Region 1 Headquarters in Pathum Thani province for questioning.

Twelve members of Wevo were arrested, according to a Facebook post by rights lawyer and pro-democracy activist Arnon Nampha. One is only 16 years old and is expected to be sent to the Central Juvenile and Family Court, he added.

On December 26, Piyarat and Wevo group sold a tonne of prawns in front of Government House, supervised by police officers there.

Related Story: A tonne of prawns sold out outside Government House, pro-democracy group says

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SSO to pay Covid-hit employees 50% of wages for 3 months

NationalDec 31. 2020

By THE NATION

The Social Security Office will compensate employees who are forced to stop working due to the fresh Covid-19 outbreak at 50 per cent of their daily wages for a maximum 90 days.

The compensation is available to employees under the social security scheme who cannot work, either because they have to self-quarantine or because their employer has to suspend operations due to a government order, said SSO secretary-general Thossaphol Kritwongwiman.

“The Cabinet approved the office’s proposal on December 22 and the new labour regulations were announced in the Royal Gazette on Wednesday [December 30],” he added.

The newly announced regulations also reduce monthly contributions to the Social Security Fund made by employers and employees from 5 per cent to 3 per cent for January to March, to help alleviate their financial burden during the outbreak. “Meanwhile, insurers under Section 39 will contribute Bt278 monthly instead of Bt432 during said period,” said Thossaphol.

Section 39 covers workers who have quit but continue to contribute to the fund.

The SSO said that during the first Covid-19 lockdown, 1.26 million people applied for similar compensation totalling over Bt3 billion.

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CCSA’s latest colour-coded map has five provinces marked out in red

NationalDec 31. 2020

By THE NATION

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) released an updated version of the colour-coded map of Thailand on Thursday, marking out the level of Covid-19 risk in each province.

Each province has been marked in either red, orange, yellow or green depending on the level of risk and strength of measures taken.

Of the 51 provinces marked, five are in red signifying more than 50 confirmed cases. They are Samut Sakhon, Rayong, Chonburi, Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom and Nonthaburi.

Seven provinces have been marked out in orange, meaning between 11 and 50 confirmed cases, and they include Samut Prakan, Phetchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Tak, Pathum Thani, Chachoengsao and Saraburi.

Provinces where 10 or fewer cases were confirmed have been marked out in yellow. They are Suphanburi, Ratchaburi, Krabi, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chai Nat, Phichit, Ayutthaya, Khon Kaen, Phuket, Chanthaburi, Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Sawan, Prachinburi, Songkhla, Satun, Uttaradit, Chiang Mai, Trang, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathiwat, Lampang, Phetchabun, Lopburi, Loei, Sukhothai, Surat Thani, Surin, Ang Thong, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Ranong, Amnat Charoen, Trat, Mahasarakham, Nong Khai and Kanchanaburi.

Other provinces were marked in green as there were no reported cases in this latest wave of infections.

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CCSA announces 194 new Covid-19 cases, 181 contracted locally

NationalDec 31. 2020

By THE NATION

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Thursday announced 194 confirmed cases, 181 of which were contracted locally.

Of the local cases, 172 were Thai nationals and the remaining nine migrant workers living in the country.

Of the 172 Thai patients, 77 are in Rayong, 20 in Samut Sakhon, 19 in Bangkok, 12 in Nonthaburi, seven in Samut Prakan, five each in Tak and Chanthaburi, three in Trat, two in Ratchaburi, 16 in Chonburi and one each in Mahasarakham, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nong Khai, Pathum Thani, Kanchanaburi and Chachoengsao.

Of the nine migrants, eight are in Samut Sakhon and one in Nonthaburi.

Among the 55 provinces with Covid-19 cases in the new wave, the highest number of patients are in Samut Sakhon (1,634), followed by Rayong (202), Chonburi (144), Bangkok (125), and 58 each in Nakhon Pathom and Nonthaburi.

Meanwhile, the remaining 13 cases in state quarantine facilities included four Thais and nine foreigners. Of the Thais, two have returned from Turkey, one from Russia and one from the United Arab Emirates. The nine foreigners comprised one each from Hong Kong, Canada, Britain, Bangladesh, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and Kuwait, as well as an Italian national from the UAE.

The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 6,884 – 4,862 of which were contracted domestically, comprising 1,392 migrant workers, and 2,015 returnees. So far, 4,240 have recovered and been discharged, while 61 people have died.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Thursday, the total number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 83.06 million (up by 719,174), 58.86 million have recovered, 24.20 million are active cases (106,616 in severe condition) and 1.81 million have died (up by 14,478).

Thailand ranks 139 in the global list of most cases, while the US tops the ranking with 20.21 million, followed by India 10.26 million, Brazil 7.61 million, Russia 3.13 million and France 2.6 million.

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PM pushes for more Covid-19 vaccine deals

NationalDec 31. 2020Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha

By The Nation

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the Public Health Ministry to negotiate deals for Covid-19 vaccines with other pharmaceutical firms, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Thursday.

He said the PM’s aim is for at least 50 per cent of the population inoculated against the virus next year. 

On November 27, the ministry and AstraZeneca signed an agreement for the purchase of 26 million doses, which should be delivered in the first half of 2021. 

Thailand has recently been hit with a new wave of infections. 

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Entering Sa Kaeo? You will need to self-quarantine if you come from 4 high-risk provinces

NationalDec 31. 2020

By THE NATION

Sa Kaeo authorities announced that people who arrive from the high-risk provinces of Bangkok, Chon Buri, Rayong and Samut Sakhon will need to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine.

The local government order required people from any of the four provinces to report to public health officials on arrival and quarantine themselves for 14 days.

This order stays in effect until January 5, the authorities added.

They also announced that officials have the power to suspend services or operations of any venue/place in Sa Kaeo if their operations are not in line with Public Health Ministry requirements.

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Fewer head home to Kalasin for holidays

NationalDec 31. 2020

By THE NATION

Fewer people returned to their hometowns in Kalasin for this New Year holiday, compared to the exodus in 2019, Nation Channel reported on its website.

The report took into account travel by both interprovincial buses and trains.

A traveller who took a bus from Bangkok told Nation reporters that passenger numbers were sharply lower than those of last year.

He said the reasons why fewer people returned home this time round included working overtime or the escalating Covid-19 situation.

“Some people think they will be infected from travelling with others, while some are afraid of being virus carriers,” the passenger explained.

Another traveller who took a train from Bangkok to Kalasin confirmed that passenger numbers this year were lower than in previous years. According to him, some passengers had cancelled their tickets or changed the date of their trips due to the virus crisis.

However, Kalasin is presently a “safe” province without any confirmed new Covid-19 cases.