Thai PM urges calm as new coronavirus outbreak sees cases surge

[snoop1130]

Thai PM urges calm as new coronavirus outbreak sees cases surge

By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Orathai Sriring

 

FILE PHOTO: Migrant workers queue for a COVID-19 nasal swab test at a migrant community, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Samut Sakhon province, in Thailand, December 20, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's prime minister called for calm on Monday and said there were no immediate plans for a wider lockdown after 382 new coronavirus infections were confirmed, the majority linked to the country's worst outbreak yet.

 

Of the new cases, 360 were migrant workers connected to a seafood centre outbreak in Samut Sakhon, a province near the capital Bangkok, where a lockdown has been imposed and thousands of tests were being conducted to contain and track the spread.

 

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the government would monitor the situation for a week before taking further action.

 

"Don't panic just yet. We strongly hope everything will calm down in seven days," he told reporters.

 

"I don't want to go as far as a lockdown like other countries. This spread is traceable."

 

Infections linked to the seafood centre rose to 821, most of those asymptomatic. Up to 40,000 people will be tested in and around Samut Sakhon, health officials have said.

 

Thailand had previously kept the epidemic in check, with just about 4,300 confirmed cases and 60 deaths until this weekend, among the world's lowest numbers, due largely to its so far strict entry and quarantine requirements.

 

The majority of new cases were migrant workers from neighbouring Myanmar, a major source of labour for Thailand's seafood sector. Myanmar has seen its cases surge to over 116,000 in recent months.

 

"It's possible that Myanmar workers were brought in during the epidemic, leading to the outbreak in the Myanmar community in Samut Sakhon," Wichan Pawan, an official at the Disease Control Department, told a briefing.

 

The main Thai stock index fell as much as 3.7% on Monday while the baht dropped as much as 0.9% in morning trade.

 

Fourteen other cases were reported on Monday, all but one in Bangkok or surrounding provinces, while eight cases were imported.

 

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said a field hospital would be set up to test and treat migrant workers.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-21

 

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[YetAnother]

3 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand's prime minister called for calm on Monday and said there were no immediate plans for a wider lockdown

and we, and thais, are supposed to believe an unelected army politician who has broken his promises many times ?

[ThailandRyan]

Ok, I get it now, this is the latest episode of Ripley's Believe it/or Not.  You get to decide whether or not Prayut believes what he says or not.  You have 30 seconds to decide, Goid Luck.

5 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The main Thai stock index fell as much as 3.7% on Monday while the baht dropped as much as 0.9% in morning trade.

Why would this upset the Teflon Baht?  Nothing else has.

[GeorgeCross]

all under control..

 

 

 

[Phuketshrew]

57 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The majority of new cases were migrant workers from neighbouring Myanmar, a major source of labour for Thailand's seafood sector.

and just who is facilitating bringing in all these migrant workers during a pandemic without the required quarantine period?

[Justgrazing]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Don't panic just yet

 

Hahahahahaha ..

Don't panic .. just yet .. words of reassurance from the P M there 

 

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand had previously kept the epidemic in check, with just about 4,300 confirmed cases and 60 deaths until this weekend, among the world's lowest numbers, due largely to its so far strict entry and quarantine requirements

 

But now they are dropping down the table quicker than a lead ballon .. 

[Pattaya Spotter]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Prime Minister Prayuth said the government would monitor the situation for a week before taking further action.

 

"Don't panic just yet. We strongly hope everything will calm down in seven days," he told reporters.

I'm off to Phuket tomorrow for Christmas week so this a relief...they can do whatever is needed after 7 days.

Edited December 21, 2020 by Pattaya Spotter

[2530Ubon]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

while the baht dropped as much as 0.9% in morning trade.

Silver linings....? About time the Baht was brought back down to Earth.

Edited December 21, 2020 by 2530Ubon

[Bluedan]

after repeatedly ensuring since March that the population was in a state of panic, he now says dont panic

[bluesofa]

46 minutes ago, Bluedan said:

after repeatedly ensuring since March that the population was in a state of panic, he now says dont panic

...Mr Mainwaring, don't panic.

[samsensam]

1 hour ago, Phuketshrew said:

and just who is facilitating bringing in all these migrant workers during a pandemic without the required quarantine period?

 

a couple of thai friend's have told me it's people traffickers bringing in cheap labour, if this is true i seriously doubt they follow quarantine guidelines.

[Solinvictus]

Build a wall!

[Blumpie]

If they don't lock that down it's going to go.  It may already be too late anyways.  Or maybe not.

You don't want it out of control.  The lockdowns are real, the full hospitals are real.  There will be no room for you and your cancer treatment if it gets out of control.

Dr. Blumpie out

[Starmocihc]

2 hours ago, 2530Ubon said:

Silver linings....? About time the Baht was brought back down to Earth.

Will never happen, mate. When are people gonna figure it out? It's, not, gonna, happen. 

[Starmocihc]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Ok, I get it now, this is the latest episode of Ripley's Believe it/or Not.  You get to decide whether or not Prayut believes what he says or not.  You have 30 seconds to decide, Goid Luck.

Why would this upset the Teflon Baht?  Nothing else has.

Absolutely won't. All the hopeful pensioners doing deposits need to let that fallacy go. Not going to happen. 

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"Don't panic just yet. We strongly hope everything will calm down in seven days," he told reporters.

Sounds a bit like "General Custers" last words... didn't work out too well for him either.

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"It's possible that Myanmar workers were brought in during the epidemic, leading to the outbreak in the Myanmar community in Samut Sakhon," Wichan Pawan, an official at the Disease Control Department, told a briefing.

I'd say it was a racing bl**dy certainty.

either legally or illegally all by-passing quarantine to make sure the slave trade in the industry didn't crash.

Som nam na.

 

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

a couple of thai friend's have told me it's people traffickers bringing in cheap labour, if this is true i seriously doubt they follow quarantine guidelines.

So who is employing all these illegals or "legals" that didn't go through quarantine?

reap what you sow...nice one Thailand.

[Mango Bob]

I will be calm when you do your job and get your people Convid-19 vaccine and stop playing games.

[Cake Monster]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Sounds a bit like "General Custers" last words... didn't work out too well for him either.

And General Custers last words were actually

" Where the F@@k did all those Indians come from ? "

[Bruntoid]

A year in jail for every <deleted> who wears a mask UNDER their nose, usually self important foreigners ! 

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thai PM urges calm as new coronavirus outbreak sees cases surge

Latest figure on my phone, Tues 22 Samut Sakhon alone now stands at 1063 positives.

[berton]

19 hours ago, YetAnother said:

and we, and thais, are supposed to believe an unelected army politician who has broken his promises many times ?

for example (s).......

[Burma Bill]

17 hours ago, bluesofa said:

...Mr Mainwaring, don't panic.

 In my opinion, just about sums up the Thai Government - "Dad's Army"!!

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, Bruntoid said:

A year in jail for every <deleted> who wears a mask UNDER their nose, usually self important foreigners ! 

[Oldie]

"Don't panic just yet. We strongly hope everything will calm down in seven days," he told reporters." 

 

To strongly hope is the best strategy. And there is enough time to panic later. 

[berton]

3 hours ago, Mango Bob said:

I will be calm when you do your job and get your people Convid-19 vaccine and stop playing games.

if u are not calm , what are u doing ?

maybe he didn't speak to you ...and you can move back to your safe country and make this wonderfull vaccine sticking in your DNA

????...goodbye

PS: what do u know about his job ? did you be elected, make any big decisions in your life ?

[ronaldo0]

Any luck this outbreak might cost him his position in charge . Hopefully everyone will see through how inept those in charge are when needed once and for all and the people of the country will actually say enough is enough !

[Ty Hareways]

Bloody farangs again????

[berrec]

 

Social distancing at its best!

 

A picture is worth a thousand words.......

 

Absolutely brain dead government and local officials letting this chaos and potentially infectious situation prevail.  

 

Zero organizational skills...................