Thai tourist city of Pattaya placed under COVID-19 lockdown

The Thai tourist city of Pattaya and the surrounding district were placed under lockdown on Wednesday as the country continues to grapple with an intensifying outbreak of the coronavirus.

Health workers sprayed restaurants and other establishments as part of preventative measures.

The governor ordered the closing of non-essential shops in Banglamung district in Chonburi province, which includes Pattaya, southeast of Bangkok. Restaurants are allowed to serve only takeaway food. The province has also shut schools and ordered 24-hour convenience stores to close between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

A family wear face masks with images of New Year celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. Officials in the Thai capital have announced new restrictions, including the closure of some entertainment facilities during the New Year's holiday, as infections continued to rise following a recent coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha visited the city on Wednesday to give his support to health workers at quarantine centers.

Thai media reported that he expressed concern for the effect the new restrictions will have on Pattaya’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism, but said it was necessary to concentrate on controlling the spread of the virus.

Thai officials on Wednesday reported 250 new cases of the coronavirus, including 241 local transmissions.

A sculpture of a dinosaurs is dressed with a Santa hat and a face mask in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. Officials in the Thai capital have announced new restrictions, including the closure of some entertainment facilities during the New Year's holiday, as infections continued to rise following a recent coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

After months of seeming to have the COVID-19 situation under control, Thailand has seen two major clusters develop since mid-December. One has mainly infected hundreds of migrant workers from Myanmar at a seafood market near Bangkok, while in recent days another cluster has grown connected to a gambling den in an eastern province.

Bangkok has been designated a zone 2 area, meaning that more than 10 new cases have been confirmed there, and the the number is likely to increase.

Earlier this week, officials in Bangkok announced new restrictions, including the closure of some entertainment facilities, during the New Year’s holiday.

A sculpture of a dinosaurs is dressed with a Santa hat and a face mask in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. Officials in the Thai capital have announced new restrictions, including the closure of some entertainment facilities during the New Year's holiday, as infections continued to rise following a recent coronavirus outbreak. (AP PhotoGemunu Amarasinghe)

Thailand has confirmed a total of 6,690 cases, including 61 deaths.

Visitors to Thailand who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will no longer need to undergo any test or quarantine on arrival starting May 1, a measure the authorities hope will help rejuvenate the country’s lucrative tourism industry.

“Many countries have already eased their restrictions,” Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Friday. “We are a country that relies on the tourism industry, especially during these times. This will help move the economy forward.”

Under the new rules announced by the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, unvaccinated travelers will still have to provide proof of negative results from a RT-PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival.

All visitors still must register with an online “Thailand Pass” system and provide proof of health insurance with coverage of at least $10,000 for COVID-19 treatment.

Under the current arrival scheme known as “Test and Go,” even fully vaccinated travelers have been required to take RT-PCR tests upon arrival and then stay in a government-approved hotel for one night until the results are known. On the fifth day of their stay. a self-administered rapid antigen test has been required.

The Public Health Ministry on Friday announced 21,808 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 128 related fatalities, bringing the totals since the pandemic began in 2020 to 4,128,038 cases and 27,520 deaths.

The official figures are based on RT-PCR tests, and the new cases do not include 20,635 positive results from antigen tests, which would almost double the number of new cases to 42,443. Many other positive results from self-administered antigen tests may not have been reported to authorities.