Four Days Record COVID-19 Cases: Thailand Closes Shopping Malls And Implements Curfew

Illustration of a COVID-19 vaccination at Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand. (Wikimedia Commons/Chainwit.)

JAKARTA - Thai authorities reported the addition of 11,784 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, July 19, a record fourth day of infections in a row as the White Elephant Country struggles to cope with the worst wave of infections since the pandemic.

Thailand's COVID-19 task force also announced 81 new deaths, bringing Thailand's current total to 415,170 infections, with 3,422 deaths and 289,651 patients declared cured, citing Worldometers.

The high number of daily infection cases has prompted the Thai Government to announce the expansion of the COVID-19 restrictions, which include travel restrictions and curfews to three more provinces, as reported by CNA Monday, July 19.

Shopping malls will also be closed and a 9pm to 4am curfew will be imposed from Tuesday in Chonburi, Ayutthaya and Chachoengsao provinces, an official announcement in the Royal Gazette said.

In addition, Thailand has also imposed a national ban on public gatherings, with a maximum penalty of two years in prison or a fine of up to 40,000 baht (about US$1,219.88) or both.

Last week, Thailand's Ministry of Health announced plans to incorporate Sinovac and AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines in its national vaccination programme, to boost public immunity to the coronavirus variant.

Authorities said they would administer the Sinovac injection as the first dose with AstraZeneca as the second dose.

Thai health authorities believe the combination of a COVID-19 vaccine in such a sequence will boost the public's immunity to the coronavirus, particularly the highly contagious Delta variant, which was first identified in India.

However, the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief scientist has advised against mixing vaccines, calling it a 'dangerous trend', as there is little data available on the health impacts of such mixing.