fredag 4. september 2020

Thailand managed 101 days without local coronavirus cases. Will it open borders soon?

Just a day after marking the significant milestone of 100 days without local coronavirus transmission, the virus has reared its head once again in Thailand. News of a fresh infection came as the Thai government faces growing pressure from businesses to reopen borders to international tourists, as months of travel restrictions have devastated its heavily tourism-dependent economy.

The latest case was revealed to be a 37-year-old man who was arrested in Bangkok on drugs charges and tested positive after arriving at a Bangkok correctional center. Health officials say that he had no recent travel history and that his quarantine cellmates had all tested negative."This case is a local transmission case after over 100 days were passed with no report of locally transmitted infection," Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayincharoen, director of Thailand's Disease Control Department, told a press conference on Thursday.

Until the announcement, the Southeast Asian country has not recorded any local infections since late May. It is still finding coronavirus cases in overseas arrivals, who are subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine period. Patients remain in quarantine until they've recovered.