A health worker disinfects a bus station in Bangkok
Credit: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP
Thailand is struggling against an unexpected Covid-19 surge this winter that has been fanned by cockfighting rings and illegal casinos.
Health officials have warned that the virus is spreading silently through illegal gambling dens as patients infected there are reluctant to disclose vital details that could help contact tracing teams contain the outbreak.
The Southeast Asian nation was relatively successful last year at keeping Covid-19 at bay, but it is now struggling to stamp out the biggest wave since the start of the pandemic.
Cases have more than doubled in less than a month — on Thursday reaching 9,636 — and infections have been detected in 56 of the country’s 77 provinces.
The latest outbreak is reported to have begun in mid-December in a seafood market in Samut Sakhon, southwest of the capital Bangkok, which employs thousands of Burmese migrant workers.
It then spread to cockfighting arenas and casinos where boisterous crowds are packed tightly together — creating ideal conditions for the spread of the virus.
Although cockfighting is not forbidden, the authorities have urged the public to avoid such venues.
"These places don’t have good air circulation and are full of people without their masks on. They must be avoided," said Mr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control.
Earlier this week, Prayuth Chan-o-cha, the prime minister, ordered a probe into illegal gambling venues, pledging to track down “influential figures” and to impose “stricter punishments” on those involved in such activities.
In the meantime, the government has stepped up its pandemic prevention efforts, closing thousands of schools and shuttering gyms, spas, bars and businesses in high-risk areas.
Thailand is also scrambling to secure vaccines. On Monday, Prime Minister Prayuth said the country was trying to obtain 63 million doses, enough to cover slightly less than half its population.
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