COVID-19: Thailand records 14 new cases, zero deaths

Today marked the 47th consecutive day without local transmission in the kingdom, with zero deaths over the last 24 hours.

In a statement today, the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said the 12 Thais who returned from Sudan on Friday comprised 11 students aged between 19 and 31 and a nine-year-old girl.

The other two new patients are a 31-year-old Thai who returned from the United States and a 42-year-old Thai from Bahrain.

Out of the 3,216 positive cases, 3,088 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals while another 70 remain warded.

“From April 3 to yesterday, 55,702 Thais returned from abroad, with 279 testing positive for COVID-19,” CCSA said.

Meanwhile, Thailand will set up a centre to help revive the kingdom’s economy, which has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deputy secretary-general to the Prime Minister‘s Office, Kobsak Pootrakool, said the centre would work like the health-focused CCSA but would be addressing economic issues.

Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan o-cha would chair the new economic rehabilitation centre, he said.

Kobsak said the government plans to establish a 50 billion baht (100 baht is RM13.63) fund to aid SMEs affected by the pandemic.

Bank of Thailand has lowered its 2020 gross domestic product forecast to a contraction of 8.1 per cent.