Thousands lined up for coronavirus tests in a province near Bangkok, while Thai authorities rushed to contain an outbreak of the virus that infected nearly 700 people
The triple lines of migrant workers mainly stretched for about 100 meters in one location, in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon province, as health officials from the mobile units methodically took nasal swabs. There were a total of three locations in the area.
Nearby, the wire guard and police blocked access to the Klang Koong or Central Shrimp seafood market – one of the largest in Thailand – and the associated housing, the epicenter of the new group.
Thailand’s disease control department said on Sunday it had found another 141 cases of the market outbreak. On Saturday, the department reported 548 cases, the highest daily increase in Thailand, sending shockwaves through a country that has seen only a small number of infections in the past few months due to strict border and quarantine checks.
The new outbreak was followed by a 67-year-old shrimp seller on the seafood market.
Health officials say most of those infected have been migrant workers from Myanmar. Workers live near the market in crowded crowded areas, raising fears that the virus could spread exponentially.
Samut Sakhon is located 34 kilometers southwest of Bangkok, the capital.
Samut Sakhon’s governor imposed a night travel restriction and other travel restrictions until January 3. Many public places in the province, including shopping malls, schools, cinemas, spas and sports stadiums, have been ordered closed.
At the Mahachai seafood market, there was a ruthless atmosphere, while the workers sat around in vain, unable to leave the area. The food supply was brought to the entrance, but had to be unloaded. The masked residents of the houses around the market piled up supplies on carts and took them.
For some, the concern was economic.
“I am worried because I can’t do anything at all and my employees can’t go out either, so we can’t do anything. The loss is huge, ”said 55-year-old Thanawan Watchanapraphan, a seafood trader.
Wanida Imphanchai, another trader, stepped near the blocked market entrance, telling police on duty that he had a negative coronavirus test just a few days ago and that he should be allowed to leave. He showed them the document on her phone, but they politely declined her request.
“How can I live like this? The virus is coming, but I can’t see it. If something happens to me, it will be messy, “Wanida said before leaving.
With less than 5,000 cases and 60 deaths, Thailand has managed to control the virus to a large extent. Before the current outbreak, there have been very few cases of local transmission in recent months, as life has largely returned to normal.