Thailand on Friday reported its fifth daily record of coronavirus cases this week, as authorities set up thousands of field hospitals to cope with the flow of patients and lined up hotels to provide extra beds for asymptomatic patients.
All positive cases must be admitted to care in accordance with Thai rules, and with 10,461 patients treated, the medical sector could be under additional pressure.
Authorities also announced the closure of bars, massage parlors and schools starting on Sunday for at least two weeks to stop the outbreak.
Alcohol sales in restaurants are banned and activities involving more than 50 people are also banned, said coronavirus workforce spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin.
Eighteen provinces, including Bangkok, have been labeled as red zones where restaurants and shops close early, with the rest of the country being classified as orange zones.
More than 20,000 beds have been set up in field hospitals across the country, at community centers and gyms. Hotels and hospitals are also partnering to set up “hospitals” to treat asymptomatic patients, the health ministry said.
Five thousand beds in 23 hotels had been prepared, according to a statement. About 2,000 beds are occupied and another 7,000 could be added.
Hotels that already host travelers to Thailand for quarantine have been best positioned to do so, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association, told Reuters.
“They have all the processes in place, such as preventing cross-contamination, wearing PPE suits, cleaning, making sure the floors are not carpeted,” she said.
Hotels are registered through the Ministry of Health and match hospitals that need extra beds.
Hotels range from three to five star facilities and are largely on the outskirts of Bangkok, the epicenter of the latest outbreak, which registered 312 new infections on Friday.
Thailand has so far managed to contain the number of cases compared to other countries, but the new outbreak is coming as many have traveled during the New Year holidays in Songkran this week and vaccination rates are still low.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the government is in contact for the possible purchase of Sputnik V and Pfizer (PFE.N) vaccines. To date, it has two million doses of Sinovac vaccine from China and 117,300 photos from AstraZeneca (AZN.L).
Thailand reported 1,582 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, marking the highest number of daily infections since the beginning of the pandemic.
The new cases brought the total number of infections to 39,038, with deaths remaining at 97.
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