KONTAN.CO.ID – BANGKOK. Thailand on Wednesday (April 14) reported 1,335 new cases of the coronavirus, its biggest daily increase since the pandemic rolled around, as the Southeast Asian country struggled with a new wave of infections.
The spike in cases occurred as Thais celebrate the Songkran new year holiday. Authorities have urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and reduce gatherings.
The push is to help limit the spread of the coronavirus, which includes the highly contagious variant B117 that was first identified in the UK.
“The period after Songkran is a critical time to control the outbreak, if that fails, we could see 10,000 to 20,000 cases per day,” said senior Thai health official Opas Karnkawinpong, was quoted as saying Reuters.
He urged people to work from home for two weeks after the Songkran new year holidays.
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Starting Thursday (April 15), shopping malls will close earlier than usual at 9 p.m. to help curb the outbreak, a retail industry organization said.
Thailand has so far managed to keep the number of coronavirus cases relatively under control compared to many other countries, even though its vaccine launch is relatively slow.
With the addition of 1,335 new cases, the total infection in Thailand now stands at 35,910 and the death toll from Covid-19 is 97.
Of the new infections Thailand reported on Wednesday, 351 were recorded in Bangkok, the epicenter of the third wave of the coronavirus. However, no new deaths were reported.
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