Prisons push Thailand's COVID-19 cases to new daily high

BANKOK: Prisons push Thailand's COVID-19 cases to new daily high Health authorities in Thailand reported 9,635 new coronavirus cases on Monday, doubling the previous daily record set last week.

Over 70 per cent of Monday's increase -- 6,853 cases -- came from prisons. Thailand's confirmed case total rose to 111,082, of which almost three-quarters -- 82,219 __ have been recorded since the beginning of April this year, when a new wave of coronavirus infections began.

Twenty-five deaths were reported Monday, bringing total fatalities to 614. Thailand had about 7,100 cases including 63 deaths in all of last year, in what was regarded as a success story in containing the virus.

The capital, Bangkok, accounted for 1,843 of Monday's new cases, with no signs of decline, said Taweesilp Visanuyotin, spokesperson for the government's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration.

He said half of the city's 50 districts have high rates of infection. Despite no downturn in infections, restaurants in Bangkok and neighboring provinces were allowed on Monday to resume indoor dining until 9 pm, with seating limited to 25 per cent of capacity.

Since May 1 they had only been allowed to provide takeout service. Bangkok officials said closures would be extended for two more weeks for schools, entertainment venues, cinemas, fitness clubs and sports arenas.

The current wave was traced to nightspots in popular Bangkok entertainment districts. But 28 virus clusters have now been identified across 19 districts, including markets, slums, low-income housing and construction sites.

The Corrections Department announced that in the first half of this month, it conducted COVID-19 tests on 24,357 inmates in eight prisons, five of them in Bangkok, and about half tested positive.