BANGKOK (AP) – The Thai tourist town of Pattaya and the surrounding district were put under lockdown on Wednesday as the country continues to struggle against the intensified coronavirus outbreak.
Health workers sprayed restaurants and other establishments as part of preventive measures.
The governor ordered the closure of non-essential stores in the Banglamung district of Chonburi province, which includes Pattaya, southeast of Bangkok. Restaurants can only serve take-out food. The province also closed schools and ordered 24-hour convenience stores to close between 10 pm and 5 am.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha visited the city on Wednesday to support health workers in quarantine centers.
Thai media reported that he expressed concern about the effect the new restrictions will have on Pattaya’s economy, which depends heavily on tourism, but said it was necessary to focus on controlling the spread of the virus.
Thai officials reported 250 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, including 241 local transmissions.
After months of seeming to have the COVID-19 situation under control, Thailand has seen two large clusters develop since mid-December. One of them mainly infected hundreds of Myanmar migrant workers at a seafood market near Bangkok, while in recent days another cluster has connected to a gambling house in an eastern province.
Bangkok has been designated as zone 2, which means that more than 10 new cases have been confirmed there, and the number is likely to increase.
Earlier this week, authorities in Bangkok announced new restrictions, including the closure of some entertainment facilities, during the New Year holiday.
Thailand confirmed a total of 6,690 cases, including 61 deaths.