Health authorities have found no Covid-19 infections among 51 seafood vendors and migrant workers tested at Ying Charoen Market in northern Bangkok.
The 65-year-old market in Bang Khen district is still open. However, sales of seafood have been suspended as a precaution after the Covid-19 outbreak in a Samut Sakhon wholesale seafood market last week. Ying Charoen Market’s seafood vendors are also self-quarantining for 14 days. The market’s operator says more than 97 per cent of stores are open for business as usual.
A Bangkok restaurant owner announced on social media that she was ready to welcome all Myanmar nationals to her eatery after many shops and stores decided to shut their doors to migrants amid the new Covid-19 wave.
The virus has returned to Thailand and most of the infected persons this time are migrant workers from Myanmar. This has given rise to prejudice against Myanmar nationals, but also an online movement calling for equality and human dignity between locals and foreigners.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday night, Chatthamon Singtankong said migrant workers living in and near the Prachauthit area were welcome to dine at her restaurant.
She has even offered to provide free food to those who don’t have money. Her restaurant is open from 6am to 7pm daily.
Her post was applauded by other Facebook users, and some even wanted to donate her money, but she refused.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Thursday (CCSA) reported 67 new cases – 58 domestic ones – over a 24-hour period, while spokesman Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin confirmed that there would not be a lockdown across the country for now.
Of the 58 domestic cases, 55 have been linked to the Samut Sakhon outbreak, one connected to the cluster in Tak province, and two patients who went to a crowded area.
The Department of Disease Control (DDC) will later report about tests on migrant workers.
Meanwhile, the new cases under quarantine comprise three Thais who returned from Myanmar, one from Japan and one from Qatar, as well as an American businessman from the United Arab Emirates and two Americans who travelled from their country.
Separately, an asymptomatic Cambodian woman, 19, was found on December 17 illegally entering the country and was taken for hospital treatment in Chon Buri.
The CCSA has come out with colour coding – red, orange, yellow and green – for each province depending on the number of infections.
Samut Sakhon is presently the only province coded red, which requires the highest level of surveillance. Health officers must take the highest proactive virus search while migrants have been ordered to stay in one particular area. Residents need to wear a face mask all the time in all areas and follow health guidelines, including installing the MorChana app, a more advanced version of the ThaiChana application. The province has also set up many checkpoints. High-risk venues including entertainment ones and schools have been closed. The fishery business can still operate, but under Public Health Ministry guidelines. Factories and offices can stay open but the work-from-home option is recommended.
The provinces coded orange – which signify more than 10 cases – presently consist of Bangkok, Ratchaburi, Samut Songkhram and Nakhon Pathom. These provinces are on full alert for any new infections.
The yellow-coded, or moderate-risk, provinces which have less than 10 patients are Saraburi, Samut Prakan, Suphan Buri, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Uttaradit. Chachoengsao, Kamphaeng Phet, Phetchabun, Ayutthaya, Phuket, Phetchaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachin Buri, Krabi, Khon Kaen, Chainat, Udon Thani, Phichit, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Sawan and Angthong.
Provinces coded green are ones where there are no Covid-19 cases.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and CCSA executive said before a brief conference that the current Covid-19 situation in the country is different from the one abroad, according to DDC reports.
He thanked all staff and the people for having patience and making sacrifices so Thailand could succeed in overcoming the virus, just as it did earlier this year.
Prayut said he regretted that the New Year festival, a time when everyone is happy, will now see restrictions on celebrations to keep the virus from spreading.
Another critical issue is that foreign workers who are spread across the country need to be taken care of, he said, adding that he didn’t blame illegal workers since it was their employers who brought them in so they could pay low wages. They did not follow the labour law and should be ashamed of themselves, Prayut said.
He added that the Cabinet would next week discuss a solution to register more labour workers to meet demand.
Meanwhile, 21 patients have recovered and been discharged in the past 24 hours.
As of Thursday afternoon, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand has increased to 5,829 (1,402 in state quarantine and 1,273 from active case findings). Of these, 1,653 are in hospital and ad-hoc quarantine facilities and 4,116 have recovered and been discharged. The death toll remains at 60.
According to Worldometer, as of 10am the number of confirmed global cases has increased to 79.05 million (rising by 683,008). Of these, 55.62 million have recovered, 21.67 million are active cases (106,569 in severe condition) and 1.74 million have died (an increase of 13,423).
Thailand ranks 143rd for most cases in the world, while the US has the most number, with 18.91 million, followed by India 10.12 million, Brazil 7.37 million, Russia 2.93 million and France 2.5 million.
Speeding to complete his delivery before lockdown measures were applied in Nan nearly landed a man and his wife in a ditch.
Police arrived at the site in Muang district on Wednesday night to find a white Toyota pick-up truck stuck to a power pole with driver Chakrit Kantalue, 27, and his wife nearby.
Chakrit said he had bought oranges worth more than Bt100,000 to sell outside the province, but new lockdown measures made things difficult.
He said they tried to take a shortcut by taking the road up a mountain, but found the road covered in wet latex, which made his car slide and crash into the power pole.
Though the car did not slide further and land in a ditch, the load of oranges has been damaged. Chakrit said they may not be able to cover the cost of hoard of oranges.
Business owners are required to report the number of migrant workers they have hired, while officials from the Department of Industrial Works in each province have been instructed to keep a close eye on the state of foreign workers, Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said on Thursday.
“Business owners have been told to remain calm and not try to hide their foreign staff,” he said. “Shifting them to other areas will only increase the risk of the Covid-19 virus spreading from migrant workers to local people in other provinces.”
He further added that businesses that hire foreign workers should be socially responsible and employ Covid-19 preventive measures, including screening people coming from risky areas, ensuring everyone wears a mask and social distancing is applied in facilities.
“If you find a worker has contracted the virus, notify public health officials immediately so they can start investigating and can isolate people who have been in close contact with the patient,” he said. “The sooner we minimise the scope of the virus spreading, the smaller the impact it will have on the economy.”
As for news that some business owners in Samut Sakhon province, which has recently become a hotspot for infections, are moving their workers to other provinces to avoid inspection, Suriya said the ministry is looking into the matter. He said he believes these workers may have entered the country illegally.
The Office of National Water Resources (ONWR) has proposed a plan to produce freshwater from seawater in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to prevent water shortage in the area.
The proposal was made to the National Water Command Centre, which is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, said ONWR deputy secretary-general Samrerng Saengpuwong.
“The ONWR has been working with the Eastern Economic Corridor Committee in studying saltwater distilling techniques in Spain, Singapore, Mexico, Israel, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, China, the United States, Australia and South Africa,” he said. “Most of them have employed the reverse osmosis technique, which produces drinkable freshwater that has the same quality as tap water.”
Samrerng said current technology permits the production of 136,000-624,000 cubic metres of freshwater per day from static facilities, while some countries such as Japan have invested in mobile distilling facilities capable of producing 1,600-2,000 cubic metres per day per unit.
“In 2020 the EEC recorded total water resources of 2.53 billion cubic metres, with 1.36 billion in local water reservoirs, 597 million from the Chao Phraya basin, 395 million from runoff for the drought season, 100 million in diversion pipes and 79 million in groundwater wells,” he said.
“Total water usage this year is 2.41 billion cubic metres, while in 2027 it is estimated to increase to 2.88 billion and reach more than 3 billion by 2037,” Samrerng said.
“If we can produce 200,000 cubic metres of freshwater from seawater in the EEC, it will increase water capital by 2.2 per cent of total water resources and could support increasing use by several industries in the area,” he said.
“The ONWR estimates that the project could start in 2021 by selecting suitable areas to build a facility, drafting construction plans and preparing to sign a water trading contract with partners. Construction is expected to start by 2022-2023 on an approximate 20 rai of land, while the facility should be operational by 2024,” he added.
The Government Savings Bank (GSB) on Thursday announced that a staffer at its Ongkharak branch in Nakhon Nayok has tested negative for Covid-19, contrary to an Internet rumour that the man was infected after visiting a prawn market in Samut Sakhon, a hotspot of new mass infections.
“The staffer has a relative who carries a high risk of infection after travelling to Samut Sakhon, as he works as a truck driver at the market,” the GSB said.
“The relative tested positive on December 21, so we ordered the staffer to get a test immediately. The test came back negative on Wednesday [December 23],” it said.
“However, the bank shut down its Ongkharak branch from December 22 to 24 to undertake cleaning, disinfection and ozone treatment at the premises and surrounding areas under the supervision of the Department of Disease Control,” the bank said.
“We have instructed all staff to strictly follow Covid-19 preventive measures to ensure the safety of both the staff and customers,” it added.
The GSB Ongkharak branch will resume operations on December 25.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) resolved on Thursday to classify provinces in different colours depending on the level of Covid-19 risk and the strength of measures taken in each province.
A map of the country with provinces marked out in red, orange, yellow or green will be released by the CCSA on a daily basis.
So far, of the 30 provinces where Covid-19 cases have been confirmed, Samut Sakhon is the only one marked out in red. Provinces marked out in orange, signifying more than 10 cases, include Bangkok, Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi and Nakhon Pathom.
Provinces marked out in yellow, where fewer than 10 cases have been found, are Saraburi, Samut Prakan, Suphanburi, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Uttaradit, Chachoengsao, Kamphaeng Phet, Phetchabun, Ayutthaya, Phuket, Phetchaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachinburi, Krabi, Khon Kaen, Chai Nat, Udon Thani, Phichit, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Sawan and Ang Thong.
The rest of the provinces were marked in green to show no Covid-19 cases have been reported in the new wave of infections.
CCSA spokesperson Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin said no gatherings will be allowed in provinces marked out with red, while residents in orange-coded provinces will only be allowed small personal gatherings.
However, small events will be allowed in yellow and green-coded areas.
Four new Covid-19 cases have been discovered in Nakhon Pathom, bringing the total number of infections in the province to 35.
An official announcement confirmed that the latest cases are all residents of Kamphaeng Saen district.
Nakhon Pathom Governor Surasak Charoensirichot signed new orders on Wednesday to close educational institutions, prioritise preventive measures at public venues and cancel all public gatherings.
The province has 23 patients who are now Covid-free and 12 who are still under treatment.
The Mall Group has closed three shops in two branches after Covid-19 patients visited the outlets recently.
According to an announcement on Wednesday, The Mall Bang Khae ordered Dtac and iCare shops to suspend their services until Friday, as an infected person had reportedly visited both shops.
The outlets were ordered to undergo sterilisation during the temporary closure. Staff of each shop were instructed to immediately go into quarantine for fourteen days, and those shop workers who came into direct contact with the patient were sent to hospital for a Covid-19 test.
A similar case took place at the Yum Saap restaurant at The Mall Bang Kapi. A patient who was confirmed as the first Covid-19 case in Samut Songkhram province had earlier visited the restaurant for a meal.
The Mall Group said the restaurant was ordered closed for three days until Friday. The Yum Saap branch is undergoing a thorough cleaning and its staff have been instructed to quarantine themselves for two weeks.
