COVID-19: Thailand reports one new case, another death

Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesman Thaweesilp Wissanuyothin said the latest fatality was a 80-year-old Thai man from the southern province of Narathiwat.

He said a 32-year-old Thai male student who arrived in Kuala Lumpur from Saudi Arabia and boarded a bus to Narathiwat through Padang Besar checkpoint on May 25, is the latest COVID-19 patient in Thailand.

"To date, eight of 39 passengers in the bus traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Narathiwat via land border (Padang Besar) have been diagnosed with COVID-19," he told a COVID-19 daily briefing here today.

Of the 3,083 COVID-19 cases, 2,966 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals while another 59 remain warded.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan o-cha told a press conference that Thailand is not rushing to reopen to international tourism as the people's health and safety, remain the government's utmost priority.

"We will allow travel between countries that we have bilateral agreement ... it will be done in stages," he said adding that the cabinet did not discuss lifting the ban on all international flights as relevant authorities were gathering more information to evaluate the situation.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has announced an extension of temporary ban on all international flights to Thailand until June 30, 2020.

Meanwhile, the southern island of Phuket will reopen its airport to domestic flights starting June 15, the provincial communicable disease committee announced today.

"Since the provincial authority had been effective in containing the spread of Covid-19, Phuket airport had obtained permission to reopen to domestic flights from June 15," the committee said, quoting Bangkok Post.

CAAT has temporarily banned flights to and from the resort island starting April 10 to curb COVID-19 outbreak. All entry and exit points by land and water in Phuket, reopened on June 1.