Thailand’s reopening delayed due to 10-fold surge in COVID-19 infections

The recent deadly surge of COVID-19 infections in Thailand has put on hold the country’s plan to fully reopen. The southeast Asian country successfully stem the spread of coronavirus initially, but the highly contagious Delta variant is now putting pressure on the Thai government to re-impose tougher restrictions.

Thailand has recorded a 10-fold surge in new infections since April 2021 with hospitals running out of hospital beds for critical cases of COVID-19.

The country’s COVID-19 task force has reported 7,058 new cases, pushing the total number of infections to 308,230.

The health authorities also reported 75 new deaths, the highest since the pandemic began.

With Bangkok and its surrounding provinces struggling to deal with the COVID-19 surge, the government is pushing ahead with its plans to reopen the popular resort island of Phuket in a bid to salvage the economy.

Bangkok is ramping up the opening of temporary treatment facilities and the conversion of some hotels into hospitals.

Phuket Sandbox Scheme

High hopes have been pinned on the “Phuket Sandbox” scheme which kicked off on July 1. Under the plan, fully vaccinated visitors to Phuket are allowed to roam the entire island. After 14 days, they can travel elsewhere within Thailand.

But the scheme is a major gamble by the Thai government, whose plans depend on the willingness of visitors to tolerate the strict regulations that they will be subjected to in order to enjoy a holiday in Phuket.

Critics have also slammed the government for a slow vaccine rollout and insufficient prevention measures. There is also growing concern over the future of tourism, as officials roll out a new scheme to draw visitors.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha wanted to reopen the economy even setting a 120-day deadline last month to fully open Thailand to vaccinated foreign visitors.

He wanted to revive the tourism sector which contributes 20 percent to the gross domestic product before the pandemic began.

However, health experts are warning that new cases and deaths could spike.

Dr. Anan Jongkaewwattana, an expert in molecular virology and director of the research unit at the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology said a strict lockdown is the only way out.

“It might hurt the economy now, but things will be better in the long run once we can contain the spread,” he pointed out.

Thailand has reported nearly 90% of its total number of cases and 95% of its deaths since the pandemic began since April. The latest surge in infections was triggered after the virus began spreading through several Bangkok nightlife venues.

In an effort to contain its worst outbreak so far, Thailand has reimposed restrictions on restaurants, construction sites and gatherings in the capital and five nearby provinces.