Over 1,000 COVID-19 Cases Confirmed from Bangkok, Thailand Seafood Market Outbreak

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreads in a large seafood market in Samut Sakhon Province, southwest of Bangkok, Thailand, the number of related confirmed cases has exceeded 1,000.

According to Thai media including the online outlet The Nation on the 22nd, Wirasak Wichitsangsri, governor of Samut Sakhon Province, announced that as of 1 p.m. that day, 242 additional cases were confirmed, bringing the total number of confirmed cases related to the Mahachai seafood market to 1,063.

Governor Wirasak explained that about 90% of the confirmed cases are migrant workers. It is known that thousands of Myanmar migrant workers work at shrimp fishing boats or shrimp processing factories in the Mahachai seafood market. Since August, COVID-19 has rapidly resurged in Myanmar, with about 1,000 new confirmed cases occurring daily recently. Thai authorities believe that a considerable number of Myanmar migrant workers working at the seafood market illegally entered Thailand by using forests or rivers along the Thailand-Myanmar border.

The government’s COVID-19 Situation Administration Center (CCSA) also announced that 427 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed that day. Among the new cases, 397 are migrant workers related to the large seafood market in Samut Sakhon Province, and 16 locally infected Thai nationals are also all related to the seafood market, the CCSA explained. They reside in eight provinces including Bangkok, Saraburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Chachoengsao, Nakhon Pathom, and Phetchaburi, the CCSA mentioned.

The CCSA also urged that approximately 1,000 people who visited the seafood market from the 1st to the 18th across 22 provinces must all undergo COVID-19 testing.

Meanwhile, the Thai government announced in a statement released in Thai and Myanmar languages that all migrant workers are prohibited from entering or leaving Samut Sakhon Province and must quarantine for 14 days in their current dormitories using food and drinking water provided by the authorities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.