Thailand reported two more Covid-19 deaths and 279 new infections amid worries the trend will continue as more people are travelling during the New Year holiday.
The new cases brought the accumulative totals to 63 deaths and 7,163 cases, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
The centre said the new fatalities, which brought the death toll to 63, were a man, 44, who had visited a restaurant in Bangkok on Dec 20 and a 70-year-old man who had illegally entered the country along the border from Myanmar to Mae Sot district of Tak on Tuesday.
Of the 279 new cases, 257 were local infections. They included those linked to the clusters in Samut Sakhon (3), Rayong (2) and Chon Buri (1) while 16 had professions at risk of infection. The remaining 235 cases are being investigated.
The country is battling a new round of the Covid-19 outbreak that started in a few provinces, including Bangkok and Samut Sakhon, before spreading to 53 provinces on Thursday. Sa Kaeo and Lamphun were the latest additions to the list, it said.
CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said the centre was worried more cases would be found as people are travelling or returning to the provinces during the New Year holidays.
The risk was travellers from the provinces plagued by the outbreak, he added, as they could transmit the disease to other people at home or tourist destinations.
The four-day holiday which started on Thursday ends on Sunday.
Dr Taweesilp warned the situation remained serious and it could take some time for authorities to keep the situation under control.
"Do not expect the spread to end today or tomorrow," he said, adding he expected the situation to ease in mid-February.
The spokesman said the Public Health Ministry had ordered health provincial chiefs in Bangkok and eight other provinces to strengthen health measures and consider closing all entertainment venues to contain the spread.
The targeted provinces are Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Songkram, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Chon Buri and Rayong.
Government map showing the distribution of Covid-19 cases in Thailand by province; click for more detail. (Courtesy https://covid19.th-stat.com/en/share/map)
