Pattaya-Chonburi tightens screws on coronavirus lockdown

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Gov. Pakarathorn Thienchai reviews the latest coronavirus-infection statistics and preventative measures being taken March 30.
Gov. Pakarathorn Thienchai reviews the latest coronavirus-infection statistics and preventative measures being taken March 30.

Chonburi tightened the screws on the province’s coronavirus lockdown, limiting restaurants to takeout and delivery services and shutting convenience stores overnight.



Gov. Pakarathorn Thienchai reviewed the latest coronavirus-infection statistics and preventative measures being taken March 30.

The province-wide closure of restaurants – allowing take-out and delivery orders only – and the closure of convenience stores from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. follows similar action taken earlier by Pattaya City Hall. All other closures and restrictions remain in place through at least the end of the month.

As of March 30, Chonburi had 52 confirmed cases of Covid-19, seven of whom are foreigners. More than 40 percent of the infected came from an illegal boxing event hosted by an army-run stadium near Bangkok last month. Eight people contracted the disease in bars.

Pakarathorn said Chonburi is now screening people entering the province at five checkpoints.

The Chonburi Public Health Department’s Dr. Apirat Katanyutanon said three high-risk groups are being monitored: A group of Russians who arrived recently in Thailand, the staff of a Sriracha bank where an employee tested positive for Covid-19, and people who recently fled from Bangkok to Pattaya.

People can evaluate their risk of infection before going to a hospital, the governor said, by checking Rajavithi Hospital’s website. Information on the Covid-19 outbreak can be found on the Chonburi Public Health Department social media channels or by calling 1422 twenty-four-hours a day.