A sharp rise in cases mainly related to the shrimp market in Samut Sakhon, bringing Thailand’s diseases to more than 4,800.
Thailand has reported more than 500 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily count in the country.
The 548 new cases come after the country witnessed only a small number of diseases over the past several months due to strict border and quarantine controls.
Health officials said 516 of the new diseases were found in connection with the uprising at the Klang Koong shrimp market in Samut Sakhon district, southwest of Bangkok. The new cases involved migrant workers.
These diseases were linked to 67-year-old seafood vendor Klang Koong, who tested positive for the coronavirus earlier, Department of Medical Sciences chief executive Opas Karnkawinpong said in a news conference Saturday.
More than 90 percent were asymptomatic, he said.
The diseases reported Saturday will lead the country to more than 4,800 with 60 deaths in the country of 70 million – fewer cases than any country with such a large population except Vietnam.
Most of the migrant workers are Samut Sakhon from Myanmar, who suffered a more severe outbreak of coronavirus than Thailand, where health authorities credit early action by limiting the spread of virus.
Migrant workers of seafood market before testing in Samut Sakhon district, Thailand [Panumas Sanguanwong/Reuters]
“While it is possible to detect more diseases in crowded foreign communities around the shrimp market, they are low-risk groups because they are of working age and healthy,” Opas said.
The province was ordered to be closed until January 3 and placed under a curfew 10am to 5pm.
Governor Samut Sakhon Wirasak Wichitsaengsi said the number of diseases was higher than expected, “making it necessary to take control measures to stop the rapid spread of epilepsy quickly”.
Thailand is among the top 10 shrimp exports in the world.
Nearly 1.9 million Myanmar workers were officially in Thailand in 2019. Another recent uprising was discovered for people who crossed the porous border illegally.
Myanmar has recorded more than 115,000 coronavirus cases and 2,424 deaths.
Other Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, have also reported thousands of cases among migrant workers.
The rise in cases in Thailand comes just as it is trying to revive the tourism industry devastated by epilepsy.
On Thursday, it reduced restrictions to allow more foreign tourists to return.