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One death, 819 new Covid cases in 24 hours, strict measures may be relaxed in some provinces

NationalJan 27. 2021

By The Nation

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Wednesday reported one death and 819 new cases in 24 hours, including 11 people who travelled from abroad, and announced it would consider a proposal to relax strict anti-virus measures in especially “orange-coded” provinces including Bangkok.

Of the new cases, 92 were exposed to the virus while visiting high-risk areas.

The province with the highest number of infections in 24 hours was Samut Sakhon (70), while six cases were confirmed in Bangkok.

Proactive testing led to the discovery of 716 cases – 714 in Samut Sakhon, 1 in Samut Prakan and 1 in Rayong.

The 76th domestic death was confirmed as a bedridden male patient, 56, who had an ischemic stroke. He passed away on January 25.

He experienced breathing difficulties and had a lot of phlegm on January 22. He was confirmed positive the next day. Despite treatment, his condition deteriorated rapidly.

Of the returnees, two are Thai nationals who came home from Bahrain and Sweden. Also testing positive are one Indian from the United Arab Emirates, an Australian from Mozambique, three British nationals, a Polish citizen, an Iranian, a Swedish national, and an Indonesian, who flew in from their respective nations.

Meanwhile, 162 patients have recovered and been discharged.

CCSA spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin announced that a draft of fresh guidelines has been proposed for setting the level of risk in each province, with “maximum controlled” areas coded red, “highly controlled” being orange, “controlled” light orange, “high surveillance” yellow, and “surveillance” green.

If the proposal, or draft, is accepted by the CCSA’s main committee, the only maximum controlled province will be Samut Sakhon, which will need to continue conducting intense Covid-19 tests and employ all preventive measures. A CCSA sub-committee has suggested that some remote districts of Samut Sakhon, which are far from the centre of the outbreak, could even relax strict rules for businesses.

Meanwhile, Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani are expected to fall into the highly controlled category (orange). These provinces could go in for further relaxations, including allowing food and alcohol to be served in restaurants until 11 pm, opening schools fully and allowing an unlimited number of guests in banquet rooms but with strict virus-preventive measures.

The proposal, by the Public Health Ministry, will be sent to the main CCSA committee for consideration this Friday.

As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 15,465. Of these, 13,058 contracted the virus domestically, including 6,248 who were found via proactive testing, and 2,407 are returnees. So far, 11,054 have recovered and been discharged, 4,335 patients are still in hospital and the death toll has increased to 76.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases globally has increased to 100.83 million (rising by 528,698). Some 72 million have recovered, almost 26 million are active cases (110,299 in severe condition) and 2.17 million have died (up by 15,879 in 24 hours).

Thailand ranks 121st on the global list of most cases. The US tops the list with 26 million, followed by India 10.69 million, Brazil 8.93 million, Russia 3.76 million and the United Kingdom 3.68 million.

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Second Covid wave will wipe out tourism sector, warns TCT chief

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) estimates that a second Covid-19 outbreak would leave half of the workers in tourism or 2 million people jobless because businesses don’t have enough cash to continue paying salaries.

A study on the confidence index of businesses in the tourism sector, conducted by TCT and Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya, learned that business confidence in the last quarter of 2020 stood at 62 points, equal to the same quarter in 2019.

The study found that 1.04 million workers had lost their jobs over 2020. Also, an additional 10 per cent of businesses in the tourism sector closed temporarily in the last quarter, up from 3 per cent in the third quarter. The number of businesses that closed permanently stayed at 3 per cent.

The survey also showed that 50 per cent of tourism businesses decided to reduce their staff by around 30 to 40 per cent in the last quarter of 2020.

TCT chairman Chamnan Srisawat said his organisation has urged Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn to set up a Tourism Labour Bank by March to help those who have lost their jobs. He also called on the government to issue soft loans for businesses in the tourism sector.

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Frontline doctors, nurses decide to dance off the stress

NationalJan 27. 2021

By The Nation

Thailand was hit by a new wave of Covid-19 infections in December when people, both Thais and foreigners, began sneaking across the border, leaving medical personnel on the frontline overwhelmed.

However, doctors in Tak’s Mae Sot district have found a new way to “shake it off”. Mor Chai Dan or doctors in the border area shared a clip on Facebook showing doctors and nurses dancing. They said the dance workout, led by a Covid-19 Ward chief and a nurse, put them in a good mood and got rid of the stress.

More than 60 Thais, who either sneaked across the border or took the legal route, are being treated at the Mae Sot Hospital, while foreigners have been sent back to their own country.

As of last Sunday, there were 136 confirmed Covid cases in Tak province. Of them, 26 had been infected locally and 110 were returnees. So far, two people have died from the infection, 62 have recovered and 72 are still undergoing treatment.

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Pick a name for a newborn tapir and you could win Bt10,000

NationalJan 27. 2021Narongwit Chodchoy

By The Nation

Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo, or Korat Zoo, is inviting people to name a newborn tapir and stand a chance to win Bt10,000.

Acting zoo director Narongwit Chodchoy said on Wednesday that a male tapir was born at 2pm on January 10.

He added that the newborn tapir’s father is called “Mafia” and its mother “Singha”.

Those interested can submit a name for the newborn via Korat Zoo’s website or Facebook page until February 7. The result will be announced on the website and Facebook on February 10.

For more information, contact the zoo’s business development and public relations department via mobile phone number 083-3720404.

The tapir is a large, herbivorous mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of Southeast Asia and South and Central America.

Under good conditions, a healthy female tapir can reproduce every two years. A calf is born after a gestation period of about 13 months. The natural lifespan of a tapir is about 25 to 30 years, both in the wild and in zoos.

Tapirs have been classified as one of 15 reserved wild animals in Thailand.

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Ranong to send 402 migrants back to Myanmar

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

Ranong will send its first batch of 166 detained Myanmar migrants from a total of 402 back to their home country starting on Thursday, Ranong Governor Somkiat Sisanet said on Tuesday.

The 402 were under detention at the Ranong Immigration Office’s quarantine facility for 2-5 months after they were arrested for various non-violent crimes, including illegal entry.

The detainees held a peaceful protest within the quarantine facility on Monday after the province did not send them home following their arrests. Provincial officials reasoned that the Myanmar government was not ready to take them back yet due to the escalating Covid-19 situation there.

The detainees on Monday urged the Ranong governor to contact the Myanmar Embassy to speed up the process of sending them back home now that the virus situation in Myanmar is improving.

After discussions, the governor and the embassy agreed to send the first batch home starting on Thursday, while the rest would follow soon.

Somkiat added that all the detainees had undergone Covid-19 tests and none were found to be infected.

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Baht rate stable at opening

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

The baht opened at 29.96 to the US dollar on Wednesday, barely changing from Tuesday’s close of 29.99.

The Thai currency is likely to move between 29.95 and 30.05, Krungthai market strategist Poon Panichpibool said.

Financial markets fluctuated on Tuesday night due to investor concern about the Covid-19 situation around the world and unsure US stimulus measures, despite the International Monetary Fund estimating that the global economy would grow 5.5 per cent this year and 4.2 per cent in 2022.

The S&P 500 index decreased by 0.15 per cent and the Russell 2000 by 0.6 per cent, reflecting concern about a US economic recovery.

Investors are also awaiting results of the US Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Wednesday, as the Ten-Year Treasury yield moved near 1.03 per cent.

At the same time, the main currencies strengthened, compared to the dollar.

In Thailand, the baht will not strengthen more than 29.90 per US dollar, Poon predicted. Factors that would affect the Thai currency include the direction of the dollar’s movement and foreign fund flows.

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Opposition MP urges Prayut to put the brakes on Green Line fare hike

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

Pheu Thai’s Maha Sarakham MP and party deputy chief Yutthapong Jarassathian submitted a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday urging him to suspend the Green Line Skytrain fare increase to a maximum Bt104, which is to commence on February 16.

Despite previously promising that the fare ceiling would be Bt65 on the route, Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said last Friday that the new ceiling of Bt104 is inexpensive and would be implemented from February 16 as planned unless the government decided otherwise.

Read More: Aswin defends Green Line fare hike, rules out review unless ordered by govt

Yutthapong (File Photo)

“The fare hike will hurt people who have already been affected by the economic fallout of Covid-19. The average minimum wage of Bangkokians is Bt331. If they have to take a return trip on the Green Line, which will amount to Bt208, they will have only Bt123 left for their daily expenses, which is not livable,” Yutthapong pointed out.

“I therefore urge the prime minister to suspend the fare hike before February 16, and also launch an investigation into why the Interior Ministry and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) have not obeyed the Cabinet’s order of November 26, 2018, which stipulates that the BMA must borrow money to pay off debts from Green Line operational costs to the Bangkok Mass Transit System [BTSC],” he said.

The BTSC, which has been operating the Green Line extension from Bearing to Samut Prakan since 2018 and from Mo Chit to Khu Khot since 2020, has demanded more than Bt8 billion in operation costs.

The operator claims that at the fare ceiling of Bt63, it is incurring a loss of Bt93 per passenger because the fare from end to end should be Bt158.

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27 Cambodians arrested for illegal entry, disguising themselves as monks

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

Twenty-seven Cambodian nationals have been arrested for entering the country without proper documentation and disguising themselves as Buddhist monks at Wat Talom temple in Bangkok’s Phasi Charoen district, Immigration Police chief Pol Lt-General Sompong Chingduang announced on Tuesday.

“We received a tip-off that the temple had several hundred monks living in a crowded space that could become a hotspot for Covid-19,” Sompong explained. “People also reported that some monks from this temple were selling food they received from the public in the morning to merchants at nearby markets for reselling.”

An investigation showed the temple had divided its living quarters into two separate areas.

“Normal monks live upstairs while migrant monks crowd the downstairs area as well as under the crematorium,” Sompong said.

“Officers found that 181 migrant monks from Myanmar, India, Cambodia, Laos and Bangladesh had proper documentation, but the 27 had neither entry papers nor ID cards stating they are monks.”

All 27, who were ordered to change out of their monk robes, were taken to Bang Saothong police station and charged with illegally entering the country and impersonating Buddhist monks.

Police have also launched an investigation of the temple’s abbot for allegedly assisting and hiding illegal migrants, Sompong added.

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Ministry extends ID card making, renewal deadline to April 30

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

The Royal Gazette website on Tuesday published an Interior Ministry announcement stipulating that the deadline for making or renewing identification cards will be extended to April 30 in a bid to curb Covid-19 from spreading further.

The announcement, signed by Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda, added that the move aims to help people who cannot travel due to lockdown measures.

The deadline for making a new identification card or renewal of an expired card is therefore moved from within 60 days since the person becomes seven years old or since the card expires, to April 30, 2021.

Normally, those who make or renew their ID card after the 60-day limit are subject to a Bt100 fine.

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Cool-to-cold weather in upper Thailand, isolated rain forecast for Bangkok, East, South

NationalJan 27. 2021

By THE NATION

The North, the Northeast and the Central region will continue to experience cool to cold weather, with thick fog in some areas, while mountaintops are seeing cold to very cold weather as a weak high-pressure system covers the upper North and the upper Northeast, the Meteorological Department said on Wednesday.

It forecast isolated rain for the East, Bangkok and its vicinity and the South.

Here’s the weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

North: Cool to cold weather with fog in the morning and thick fog in some areas; temperature lows of 14-20 degrees Celsius and highs of 31-36 degrees. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 4-13 degrees.

Northeast: Cool weather with fog in the morning and thick fog in some areas; temperature lows of 15-21 degrees and highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 8-15 degrees.

Central: Cool weather with fog in the morning and thick fog in some areas; temperature lows of 20-23 degrees, highs of 34-36 degrees Celsius.

East: Fog in the morning and isolated rain in 10 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees, highs of 31-35 degrees Celsius; waves less than a metre high and one metre offshore.

South (east coast): Thundershowers in 20 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 22-24 degrees, highs of 30-34 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 2 metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees, highs of 32-35 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy with light rain in some areas; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 34-35 degrees Celsius.