Thailand warns to re-apply COVID-19 restrictions, infections in Singapore could hit 40,000

Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced that both public and private sectors should strictly apply social-distancing measures once the lockdown is lifted or restrictions will be applied again.

The statement was made after Thai people were seen crowding stores to purchase alcoholic beverages.

Now there are limitations on how many bottles of alcohol can be sold and during what hours, he said. The premier also warned that if people still crowd stores to purchase booze, the government would once again impose a ban.

The number of COVID-19 infections in Singapore could hit 30,000 – 40,000 this month, but containment measures will help to keep the situation from spiralling out of control, local medical experts said.

While the total counts have continued to rise, the numbers have recently started to stablise, said Assoc. Prof. Alex Cook from the National University of Singapore (NUS)’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.

Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases expert at Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, agreed that cases could cross 40,000 this month but said it is likely that Singapore has gone past the peak of daily confirmed cases.

Singapore has been hit the hardest by the coronavirus in Southeast Asia. The country reported 788 new cases on May 6, taking the total count to 20,198.

Meanwhile, Indonesia is set to revise its data on confirmed and possible COVID-19 cases across the country amid efforts to ramp up testing and to get a clearer view on the true scale of the outbreak.

Wiku Adisasmito, the head of the expert staff of the country's COVID-19 task force, said the central government planned to provide more accurate data on the coronavirus in Indonesia, including suspected cases and probable cases, in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s reporting standards updated in early April.

In Cambodia, the Independence Teachers’ Association (CITA) has asked the Education Ministry to consider reopening educational institutions as the country has found no new cases over the last three weeks.

Schools in the country has remained shutdown since March 16 to curb the spread of the COVID-19.

Cambodia has to date recorded 122 COVID-19 cases, with 120 having fully recovered./.