Thailand has reported 89 new COVID-19 cases and one death, bringing the tally to 2,067 cases and 20 fatalities.
Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesperson Thaweesilp Wissanuyothin said a 72-year-old Thai man who has a history of chronic illness was the latest fatality reported in the kingdom.
“Of the 2,067 COVID-19 cases, 1,762 are Thais and 305 are foreigners. COVID-19 has spread to 64 of the 77 provinces in the kingdom,” he said at a daily media briefing here today.
Bangkok recorded the most cases with 980 followed by Nonthaburi with 128 and Phuket, 107.
To date, 612 patients have recovered and been discharged while the rest are still being treated at hospitals.
To slow the spread of COVID-19, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) issued an order to ban all incoming international flights to the kingdom from today until midnight on Monday.
The order said anyone arriving on a flight that took off before the order came into effect will undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival.
Military aircraft, humanitarian medical relief and cargo aircraft, as well as aircraft making emergency landing or technical landing, are exempted, said CAAT.
There was chaos at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday when a group of Thais returning home refused to undergo a 14-day quarantine at a state facility.
A total of 158 Thais – 103 from Japan, 44 from Singapore and 11 from Qatar – landed at the airport and only six of them agreed to be placed under quarantine in Bangkok.
Meanwhile, Thaweesilp said Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan o-cha had ordered the 152 Thais who defied the quarantine order at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday to report themselves to the relevant authorities today and undergo 14-day quarantine at a state facility.
“They must contact the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) at Suvarnabhumi or the Damrongtham Centre in their provinces. We have their information and we will track them down.
“The Prime Minister ordered to track down the Thais who returned home and to put them under state quarantine facility. The number of infected cases among those travelling abroad is still high. It is dangerous to the country,” he said.
