The armed forces have been ordered to again prepare field hospitals amid surging Covid-19 cases nationwide, Defence Ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantravanich said on Monday.
Gen Kongcheep said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, also the defence minister, had directed all hospitals under the army, navy and air force to stand ready to reopen their field hospitals due to concerns about the continued spread of the Omicron variant.
Field hospitals of the three forces had provided about 7,000 beds when they opened to ease the workload of public and private hospitals with the emergence of the Delta variant last year. They closed after the Delta outbreak subsided.
The spokesman said the armed forces would work closely with the Public Health Ministry on the revival date of the military facilities.
The order from Gen Prayut came as the daily increase in the number of patients stood at more than 18,000 for three consecutive days.
The Interior Ministry on Sunday also ordered all provincial governors to tighten measures after infections spiked in a majority of provinces.