5,854 new Covid cases, 30 new deathsA monk takes a nap as he waits for a train at Hua Lumphong Station amid the coronavirus disease in Bangkok on Tuesday. (Reuters photo)Thailand logged 5,854 new Covid-19 cases and 30 new fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Sunday morning. On Saturday, 6,354 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus. Since April 1, when the third wave of Covid-19 began, Thailand has treated 2,077,950 Covid-19 patients, 1,979,430 of whom have recovered to date. Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 2,106,813 Covid-19 cases, with 2,006,856 complete recoveries so far.

Thailand will ban travellers from eight southern African countries where a new Covid-19 strain was found. No cases of the new variant have been detected in Thailand so far, according to the Department of Disease Control. Scientists are trying to find out how quickly the variant can spread and if it is resistant to the Covid-19 vaccines. The Department of Disease Control (DDC) yesterday announced a travel ban from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. RT-PCR tests should still work for the newly mutated Covid-19 variant.

(Photo supplied: Pattanapong Sripiachai)NAKHON PHANOM: A former pub employee and his wife were arrested and more than one tonne of compressed marijuana seized from their vehicle on the bank of the Mekong River in That Phanom district late Friday night. The seized drugs had a street value of at least 10 million baht. The arrest followed an investigation that led authorities top believe illicit drugs would be smuggled through That Phanom district of this northeastern province. He said he was struggling with debt when a member of a drug gang approached him and offered him 200,000 baht to transport a drug shipment from Nakhon Phanom to southern Thailand. He then rented the SUV and drove it to Nakhon Phanom with his wife accompanying him.

Health official says no Omicron cases detected to datePassengers queue to check in for a flight on Singapore Airlines at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday. (Reuters photo)Thailand will ban entry of people travelling from eight African countries it designated as high-risk for the new omicron coronavirus variant, a senior health official said on Saturday. The list of countries is the same as that used by the United States, which announced its ban early on Saturday. People already here who recently came from these countries will also be put in 14-day quarantine starting Saturday, he said. He added that no case of the new variant had been detected in Thailand.

"Do not travel to those countries to avoid getting the virus," the prime minister said, adding that a campaign has been rolled out to encourage more people to receive Covid vaccines, bolstered by an online system showing their vaccination certificates. Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said the government is monitoring the new variant. He said Thailand can request vaccines developed to deal with new variants of the virus under procurement agreements reached earlier with manufacturers. Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said the prime minister instructed relevant agencies to keep a close watch on travellers from countries where the new variant has been detected. The World Health Organization has classified it as a variant under monitoring (VUM).

Tourists rush to S.Africa airport after travel bansA flurry of nations announced travel bans to South Africa after the discovery of a new coronavirus variantJOHANNESBURG - Anxious-looking travellers thronged Johannesburg international airport and stood in long queues on Friday, desperate to squeeze onto the last flights to countries that had just shut their doors to South Africa. "South Africa found it but it's probably all over the world already," he told AFP. - 'Tired of this' -At the airport, red "cancelled" signs flashed next to London-bound flights listed on the departures board. Among them were UK citizen Ruth Brown, 25, who lives in South Africa and had planned to return home for the first time since 2019 next week. She had travelled to South Africa with her partner to adopt the child and was desperate to get back to their home in Austria.

Investors spooked by Covid news flee risky assetsRecap: Global markets, from stocks to commodities, tumbled yesterday as news of a possibly vaccine-resistant Covid variant propelled investors to seek refuge in safe-haven assets including gold. Retail investors were net buyers of 12.24 billion baht, institutional investors sold 5.98 billion and brokerage firms sold 3.21 billion baht. The cabinet on Tuesday approved a soft loan package worth 5 billion baht to help create jobs, mainly for the unemployed. Germany will release November unemployment, Canada will release third-quarter GDP and the US will release November consumer confidence. Australia will release third-quarter GDP on Wednesday, and the US will release November nonfarm employment change and manufacturing PMI.

Thai and foreign visitors walks on Khaosan Road on Nov 12 this year after the country reopened to air travellers on Nov 1. The country will also allow travellers to enter the country by land and sea, change the Covid-19 testing method for air travellers and allow tourists to visit more provinces. The change will allow visitors to start travelling in Thailand sooner since the antigen testing takes a much shorter time for the results to be known. Health authorities found 63, or 0.08%, of 81,000 air visitors infected with the virus, according to Public Health Ministry data on Thursday. The CCSA will also allow border entry, starting on Dec 24 with Nong Khai, the province opposite Laos.

Hong Kong records two cases of new variantThe Hong Kong government said Thursday that it had detected two cases of a new variant identified in South Africa, which scientists have warned shows a "big jump in evolution" and could limit the effectiveness of vaccines. (Hong Kong requires almost all overseas arrivals to quarantine in hotels for two to three weeks.) The presence of the new variant may complicate efforts to reopen the border between Hong Kong and mainland China. Mainland officials have said that Hong Kong is not doing enough to control the virus, even though the city has recorded just two locally transmitted cases in the past six months. On Thursday evening, Hong Kong’s No.2 official, John Lee, said mainland officials had told him earlier in the day that Hong Kong had "basically fulfilled" the conditions to reopen the border.

Promotion is for the mass marketMr Arkhom charges an electric vehicle during Egat's launch of a 500,000-baht EV charging station at the Finance Ministry on Thursday. Mr Arkhom said the comprehensive EV promotion plan is awaiting approval from the National Electric Vehicle Policy Committee. As Thailand is a major vehicle production hub, especially for one-tonne pickups, the government also wants to promote the production of electric pickups, he said. The ministry would consider an appropriate excise tax level for them, said Mr Arkhom. Thailand plans to support EV production throughout the supply chain, including the production of car bodies, batteries and spare parts.

Myanmar visit was about humanitarian aid, FM saysForeign Minister Don PramudwinaiForeign Minister Don Pramudwinai on Thursday told the House of Representatives that his recent visit to Myanmar was to oversee the delivery of humanitarian aid. Addressing Pheu Thai MP Sutin Klungsang's questions about his Nov 14 trip, Mr Don said he was there to deliver 15 tonnes of aid, including medical supplies donated by 17 private organisations, local and international, to Myanmar people in need. He said Thailand was approached to coordinate with Myanmar over the visit and the delivery of aid. Mr Don said the visit was done for humanitarian reasons and the national interest, citing Myanmar and Thailand's shared 2,400-kilometre border. Mr Don brushed aside criticism that Thailand was not invited to attend the Summit for Democracy hosted by the United States next month as a result of his visit.

Unverified claim suggests 'Boss' hiding in AustriaVorayuth 'Boss' Yoovidhya has yet to face Thai justice. Red Bull scion Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, wanted for an infamous hit-and-run case from 2012, is believed to be in Austria, though the Royal Thai Police (RTP) have no evidence of his residency there. Mr Sanya said the search for Mr Vorayuth is still on, and that the police believe the fugitive is living in Austria. He added the investigation into 18 officials who were accused of helping Mr Vorayuth get off the hook would wrap up next month. The second charge -- reckless driving causing death -- will expire in 2027.

(Reuters photo)The National Communicable Disease Committee (NCDC) has approved a plan to replace RT-PCR tests with antigen testing for visitors travelling from 63 eligible countries and territories who are allowed to enter Thailand without the mandatory 14-day quarantine. The change will apply to visitors under the "test and go" scheme, with vaccination certificates, and RT-PCR certificates issued 72 hours prior to their travel. Under the plan, visitors will be allowed to enter by boat and on land, in addition to air travel which is the only entry mode currently, Dr Opas said. However, entry by land will be limited to safe border passes, with strict health screening to be put in place, Dr Opas said. Meanwhile, there were 6,335 new Covid-19 cases and 37 more fatalities registered during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported yesterday.

Entering Thailand may get easier next monthVisitors arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan province when the government reopened the country on Nov 1. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)The Public Health Ministry will on Friday propose easier access to the country including a change to Covid-19 testing requirements, according to health authorities. The relaxation would include antigen tests replacing RT-PCR tests on arrivals. The increase in immigration channels was possible because the Covid-19 infection rate among visitors who arrived through the "Test & Go" programme was very low, at 0.08%. Those visitors will not be quarantined if they test negative for Covid-19 right after arrival.

The youth unemployment rate increased by 3 percentage points for both men and women, reaching a high of 6% and 8%, respectively. Youth employment in these establishments suffered the most, falling by 18% for young men and by 24% for young women. In the third quarter, the stringency of Covid-19 restrictions was equivalent to that of the second quarter of 2020. A similar magnitude of socioeconomic shock as the one seen in the second quarter of 2020 could therefore be expected, it added. For example, wage inequality increased year-on-year in the second quarter of 2020.