The ban on all commercial flights into Thailand has been extended to April 18, as the government ramps up efforts to prevent clusters of Covid-19 infections among travellers from abroad.
The decision was taken in response to growing concerns among officials that healthcare facilities in the country -- including quarantine venues -- will be overwhelmed if international arrivals are allowed to resume. Concerns were also raised about the growing number of cases involving Thai nationals who had recently returned from abroad.
While the number of new cases reported on Monday stood at only 51 -- significantly below the 100-plus figure reported daily over the past week -- the Public Health Ministry is still worried about the healthcare system's ability to handle the growing number of Covid-19 patients.
In light of these concerns, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) decided to extend the ban.
On Saturday, it banned all passenger flights from operating until Monday. Then, hours before the order expired, the aviation regulator issued another announcement which officially extended the ban to April 18.
"The extension was ordered to help curb the transmission of the disease, so the outbreak can hopefully end more quickly," CAAT chief Chula Sukmanop said on Monday.
In addition to banning incoming flights until April 18, the order requires all passengers arriving on flights which took off before the order came into effect to be quarantined for 14 days.
State and military planes, as well as aircraft requesting emergency landing and/or technical landing, are exempted. Flights for humanitarian and/or medical missions will be allowed to land, he said.
According to the spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), Taweesin Visanuyothin, 48 Thais are now stranded abroad because of the ban on incoming flights.
Twelve people are stranded in Japan, 35 in South Korea and one in the Netherlands, he said, before adding that Thai embassy staff are taking care of them.
The last time Thailand reported less than 51 new cases in a day was March 20.
While the relatively low new case count reported on Monday seemed to indicate that the number of infections was beginning to level off, medical experts warned the whole country cannot be complacent.
"This one-day drop doesn't define the [Covid-19] trajectory," Dr Taweesin said.
"Many more people are still under investigation and this will increase the number of confirmed cases."
The 51 new cases included 22 people who were in close contact with known patients, 13 health workers (11 at private hospitals), three participants of religious ceremonies, three people who worked in crowded public areas or in close proximity to foreigners, one Thai returnee, one foreign visitor and one person who were in close contact with arrivals from overseas.
The 51 new cases brought the total number of infections in Thailand to 2,220. Three more deaths were reported on Monday, bringing the total to 26.
The 24th death was a 28-year-old Thai man in Bangkok. A colleague of his wife had earlier tested positive for Covid-19.
The man fell sick on March 27 with a fever, cough and sore throat. He first visited a private hospital in Bangkok before moving to another hospital in Samut Prakan. On Saturday he was moved again to a private hospital in Bangkok, where he died late on Saturday night.
The 25th death was a self-employed 51-year-old Thai man who suffered from diabetes, hypertension and obesity, while the 26th death was a 59-year-old female vendor who suffered from diabetes.
Dr Taweesin said she gambled at many locations in Bangkok and fell sick on March 29.
According to the CCSA, Bangkok recorded the largest number of Covid-19 cases at 1,051, followed by Nonthaburi (143), Phuket (135), Samut Prakan (103), Chon Buri (66), Yala (54), Pattani (46), Chiang Mai and Songkhla (37), and Pathum Thani (28).
Dr Taweesin also said the government has no plans to impose a 24-hour lockdown.
He said the six-hour curfew had only been recently announced and people still need time to adjust to the restrictions.
"If the transmission rate can be lowered, further measures might not be necessary," he said.
Police have filed charges against 708 people for breaking the curfew.
