Thailand to tighten border controls after detecting South African COVID-19 variant


  • World
  • Sunday, 23 May 2021

FILE PHOTO: A restaurant owner smokes a cigarette while she sits in an empty Khaosan Road during Songkran holiday which marks the Thai New Year during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as the country deals with a fresh wave of infections after tackling earlier outbreaks, in Bangkok, Thailand, April 13, 2021. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai border controls will tighten after the discovery of three local cases of the South African COVID-19 variant stemming from illegal border crossings, authorities said on Sunday, as the country grapples to contain its worst coronavirus outbreak yet.

The first local case of the South African variant, known as B.1.351, was detected on May 4 in a 32-year-old Thai man after he was visited by family who entered Thailand from Malaysia through an informal border crossing, the director-general of the disease control department said.

Subscribe or renew your subscriptions to win prizes worth up to RM68,000!

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In World

Are foam bicycle tires coming to the mainstream?
South Korean lawmakers call to impeach President Yoon after back-track on martial law
Could foldable smartphones soon be getting foldable batteries?
US Republicans eye two-step Trump legislative agenda
Zelenskiy calls for reinforcement of eastern front against Russian advances
Russia, US clash at UN over escalation in Syria fighting
Mexico's lower house passes constitutional ban on e-cigarettes, vapes
Guinea rights groups say 135 killed in stadium crush
Google's AI video generator comes to Google Cloud customers
Salesforce says 49.7 bln USD spent online globally on Cyber Monday

Others Also Read