Thailand on Friday reported its fifth daily record of coronavirus cases this week as authorities set up thousands of field hospitals to deal with the influx of patients and lined up hotels to provide extra beds for those without symptoms.
All positive cases should be admitted to care according to Thai standards and, with 10,461 patients cared for, the medical sector could suffer additional stress.
Authorities also announced the closure of bars, massage parlors and schools starting Sunday for at least two weeks to curb the outbreak.
Alcohol sales in restaurants are banned and activities involving more than 50 people are also banned, coronavirus task force spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin said.
Eighteen provinces, including Bangkok, had been labeled as red zones where restaurants and convenience stores close soon, with the rest of the country classified as orange zones.
More than 20,000 beds have been installed in field hospitals across the country in community centers and gyms. Hotels and hospitals are also partnering to establish “hospitals” to treat asymptomatic patients, the health ministry said.
Five thousand beds from 23 hotels had been prepared, according to a statement. There are about 2,000 beds occupied and 7,000 more could be added.
Hotels that already accommodated travelers to Thailand for quarantine were in the best position to do so, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association, told Reuters.
“They have all the processes in place, such as preventing cross-contamination, wearing PPE suits, cleaning, making sure the floors are not carpeted,” he said.
Hotels are registered through the health ministry and combined with hospitals that require extra beds.
Hotels range from three to five stars and are located mainly on the outskirts of Bangkok, the epicenter of the latest outbreak, which recorded 312 infections on Friday.
So far, Thailand has managed to contain the number of cases relative to other countries, but the new outbreak is occurring as many have traveled during the country’s Songkran New Year holidays this week and as vaccination rates are still low .
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the government was in contact for the possible acquisition of Sputnik V and Pfizer (PFE.N) vaccines. To date, it has two million doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine and 117,300 shots of AstraZeneca (AZN.L).
Thailand reported 1,582 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, the highest number of daily infections since the start of the pandemic.
The new cases brought the total number of infections to 39,038, and the deaths stood at 97.
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