Thailand tells market buyers to seek tests as coronavirus cases climb

 

FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective face masks are seen on the street amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Bangkok, Thailand September 30, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

SAMUT SAKHON, Thailand (Reuters) - Thailand confirmed 427 new coronavirus infections and urged about 1,000 people spanning a quarter of the country's provinces to seek tests on Tuesday, in a bid to contain its biggest COVID-19 outbreak yet.

 

The new cases include 397 migrants in the southwestern province of Samut Sakhon, where an outbreak was discovered at the weekend following positive tests for COVID-19 among hundreds of workers at a large seafood centre.

 

More than 1,100 cases, mostly from neighbouring Myanmar with no symptoms, have since been traced back to the now shuttered centre, where scores of vendors typically deal in shrimps and other seafood sold widely.

 

Authorities said buyers from 22 provinces were known to have been there from Dec. 1-18 and should get tested.

 

"There are about 1,000 people across the country who went to buy goods at the market," Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the country's COVID-19 taskforce, told a briefing.

 

"But don't panic. Anybody who went should be tested for COVID".

 

Thailand had previously kept its epidemic in check, with about 4,300 confirmed cases and 60 deaths before the weekend, among the world's lowest numbers.

 

Its success has been largely down to swift contact tracing and quarantine and strict entry requirements that have decimated its tourism industry, a crucial sector for its economy, Southeast Asia's second-largest.

 

There were 16 other cases reported on Tuesday in eight different provinces, including five infections in Bangkok. Fourteen imported cases were also confirmed.

 

Myanmar is a key source of labour for Thailand's seafood sector and authorities suspect some workers may have returned from the country since infections there started to surge in August. Myanmar has reported nearly 117,000 cases.

Thai authorities are setting up a field hospital in Samut Sakhon to test and treat migrant workers.

 

(Reporting by Jiraporn Kuhakan in Samut Sakhon and Panarat Thepgumpanat and Orathai Sriring in Bangkok; Editing by Martin Petty)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-22

 

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Jeez like the vilus itself there's articles popping up everywhere on this the last couple 'o days .. anyone notice a particular theme that appears to be running through a lot of them .. 

Finally some work to do for the military, as it looks like the country has been invaded by infected Burmese. 

1 hour ago, Justgrazing said:

anyone notice a particular theme that appears to be running through a lot of them .. 

 

No!

 

 

Edited December 22, 20205 yr by fangless
clarification!

if only thailand over the last year, would have sampled 1000's of people , but nooohhhhh

 

don't test, don't tell

 

I guess the know tourism is DEAD so they start to dripple some truth drops ?

 

as always, let's blame foreigners, Myanmar slave labor, that might be living there for months

Looks they're actually going to do some testing... makes a change.

 

Perhaps another visa amnesty is on the horizon for all of us.

I was going to do my renewal nice and early but... I think I'll leave it a little bit longer.....

Be safe Prayut!  Lock Thailand Down Now! Or else you'll be seen at the PM who didn't obtain Covid-Vaccines for his people when they were available in many other countries.  So Lock Down now until your lag in vaccinations catches up with other countries like the US, EU, UK, China, and Russia - all of which have vaccines being distributed to the public. 
What happened here in Thailand?  No vaccines for Thais this day?  Shame.

On 12/22/2020 at 3:50 PM, webfact said:

"But don't panic. Anybody who went should be tested for COVID".

... if you can afford it, which most migrants can not.

Should read: "Any Thai citizen who went should be tested for COVID (and the tests are free!).