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BANGKOK: The Thai government said on Thursday (Dec 24) that it is confident it can contain a major resurgence of COVID-19 without a national lockdown, rather than relying on provincial controls, as the outbreak mainly among migrant workers continues to spread.
“I can assure you that the government will do everything possible,” Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said in a live televised speech after a meeting of the government COVID-19 focal point. “The Ministry of Public Health confirms that it is controllable if everyone cooperates.”
Overall, Thailand has been viewed as successful in fighting coronavirus due in part to its well-regarded public health infrastructure and people’s adherence to wearing masks and other protocols.
A guard wearing a face shield stands near a shrimp market in Samut Sakhon, south of Bangkok, on December 20, 2020 (Photo: AP / Jerry Harmer)
But cases have risen significantly since an outbreak was detected last week among Myanmar migrants working at a seafood market in Samut Sakhon, a province near the capital Bangkok. Millions of low-wage jobs in Thailand are filled by workers from less wealthy neighboring countries, especially Myanmar.
Since last Sunday, more than 1,000 migrant workers have tested positive for the virus, along with Thais who work or live near the seafood market, which supplies much of the country.
Contact trackers tracked potential cases by identifying the providers’ top customers, and some 10,000 people at risk were tested. Cases traced to the Samut Sakhon market have been found in 27 provinces, the government said.
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Health authorities confirmed 67 new cases Thursday, bringing the national total to 5,829, including 60 deaths. New cases among migrant workers were not reported on Wednesday and Thursday, with the explanation that they were being reviewed again.
The government’s strategy to contain the outbreak is to impose restrictions by province.
Samut Sakhon is designated as a “highly controlled” area, where there are field hospitals to isolate patients, non-essential businesses are closed, people are supposed to work from home and New Year celebrations are prohibited. The province is a center for industry and some factories may continue to operate.
A vendor wearing a face cover to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 sells fish from a wheelbarrow outside a produce market in central Bangkok on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020 (Photo: AP / Adam Schreck)
Bangkok falls into the second most serious category of “controlled”. Public establishments will have limited hours but may remain open. There will be no public New Years celebrations and private celebrations must be limited in size.
Most of the country, the provinces with fewer than 10 COVID-19 cases, fall into two surveillance categories.
“The efforts of the last few days have paid off. The statistics are trending downward, “said Natapanu Nopakun, an English-language spokesman for the government agency fighting the coronavirus. “The keyword is ‘controllable'”.
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