Buriram shuts entertainment venues as Covid tally stays above 18,000

WITH the Covid count remaining high today (Feb. 22) at 18,236 cases and 35 deaths, northeastern Buriram province ordered the closure of all entertainment venues indefinitely after a spike set in, Naewna newspaper said.

In ordering this closure Buriram Provincial Communicable Disease Committee said the step was taken because Covid cases are rising in Bangkok and other provinces because the Omicron variant spreads more quickly than other strains.

Of the province’s current total of 8,600 Covid cases and 10 deaths 300 patients had contracted the infection at entertainment venues especially during New Year celebration and Valentine’s Day when people from more heavily infected provinces travelled there.

The panel added that if this type of business is allowed to continue operating it will lead to Covid spreading to communities and villages with a widespread outbreak being far more difficult to control.

Violators face charges under Section 52 of the Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 with the penalty being maximum one year imprisonment or a fine not exceeding 100,000 baht or both. They also face charges under Section 18 of the Public Administration in Emergency Situations B.E.2548 (2005) with this mandating maximum imprisonment of two years or not more than 40,000 baht fine or both.

Earlier this morning the Public Health Ministry said of today’s 18,363 Covid cases 18,236 were domestic while 127 foreign arrivals had tested positive.

This takes the cumulative confirmed total since Jan. 1 to 526,126.

Another 15,651 patients were cured taking total recoveries since Jan. 1 to 389,302 while 169,074 patients are still undergoing treatment.

The list of today’s top-10 worst-hit provinces is as follows:

1) Bangkok, 2,638 new cases;

2) Chonburi, 929;

3) Samut Prakan, 887;

4) Nonthaburi, 792;

5) Nakhon Si Thammarat, 741;

6) Nakhon Ratchasima, 716;

7) Phuket, 660;

8) Samut Sakhon, 593;

9) Nakhon Pathom, 479;

10) Surin, 425.

CAPTIONS:

Top: A musician at a Havana entertainment venue in 2016. Photo: Ken Walton (CC BY 2.0)

Home Page: A Covid self-protection advice seen in Berlin. Photo: William Murphy (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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