The Thai capital of Bangkok is closing all schools and entertainment venues for two weeks after the New Year holiday as it tightens measures to control a new wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thailand’s health authorities reported 279 new coronavirus cases on Friday, with the majority linked to a cluster among migrant workers in Samut Sakhon province south of Bangkok.
Another cluster was linked to illegal gambling dens that started in the eastern province of Rayong.
These new clusters have started to spread into Bangkok, prompting the city’s administrator to tighten measures to curb the spread of the virus.
“We begin to detect new cases linked to students and other service businesses,” said Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, the spokesman for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
“Therefore, we decided to close more places,” he said. (continued below)
All schools, daycare centres for the young and elderly, preschool and tutorial centres will be closed from January 4 to 17, while other public facilities including amusement parks, playgrounds, public baths and massage parlours will be closed starting from Saturday, he said.
Mr Pongsakorn also said the city was considering imposing restrictions on eating-in at restaurants but more discussions were needed with the Government’s COVID-19 taskforce on Saturday.
Thailand recorded two new deaths from coronavirus on Friday, taking the total number of infections to 7,163 and the number of deaths to 63 since the outbreak started last January.
The majority of the new cases resulted from local transmission of the disease while six were imported from abroad, the COVID-19 taskforce said.
