The government on Sunday reported five new coronavirus cases, bringing the total in Thailand to 3,009. No additional deaths were reported, leaving the accumulated toll at 56.

However, there are four more infected people from the resort island of Phuket, who will be included in figures to be reported on Monday, said Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Two of the new cases reported on Sunday -- a 44-year-old Thai woman in Bangkok and an 80-year-old Thai man in Narathiwat -- are linked to previous cases, he said. The other three cases are Thai nationals who tested positive after showing symptoms while in state quarantine. They recently returned from overseas travel: one from the United Arab Emirates, and two from Pakistan. 

 

 

The CCSA spokesman said that despite his statement during Saturday’s briefing, a shopping mall will not in fact reopen for a two-day trial on Thursday and Friday.

Only the centre’s full board has the authority to make that decision, he said, and the issue will be decided by all the board members in a meeting on Friday.

On Saturday, Dr Taweesilp said a mall will be reopened for a two-day trial run to assess the the effectiveness of safe distancing rules in preparation for some shopping centres’ return to business next Sunday.

In the Sunday briefing, he stressed that the types of places allowed to reopen, and the date they can do so, will be determined during the meeting on Friday, and health and safety would be prioritised over economic concerns. 

Reopenings of shopping centres and other larger business premises are slated for the second phase of the plan to ease restrictions imposed in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

 

 

 

Bangkok Post