Average 5% infected in Bangkok communities

[reader]

Silom district has highest rate

From Bangkok Post

People in Bangkok have been warned to take Covid-19 prevention measures seriously, after group testing in some areas found an average five in every 100 were infected with the virus.

Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Friday that active case finding at many locations in the capital on Wednesday had returned positive rates ranging from 0.79% to 10.53%, or 4.95% on average.

"Tests on May 12 covered 7,247 people and 359 of them were positive. The rate is almost five percent.

"Now, in some areas of Bangkok, five in 100 people around us are infected on average. The data shows that it is very close to you.

"Please take the best care of yourself. No matter how measures may be eased, please continue to follow good hygienic practice," he said.

Community testing on Wednesday was done at Thupatemi stadium, the Thai-Japanese youth centre and a central market in Din Daeng district, schools and communities in Klong Toey district, Silom community and other locations in Huai Khwang, Rong Muang and Laksi areas.

The lowest positive rate was in Laksi (0.79%)  and the highest in Silom (10.53%).

"The infections in Silom are from the cluster started by a gem trader who travelled between Chanthaburi and Bangkok and a community of Guinean traders. Tests on 1,016 people found 107 infected people, for a positive rate of 10.53%, which is high," Dr Taweesilp said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2115883/average-5-infected-in-bangkok-communities

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From The Thaiger

Thailand urged to join in reducing global prisoners for Covid-19

PHOTO: Overcrowding plagues the Thai prison system and has created a Covid-19 crisis. (via Youtube)

After it was revealed that nearly 3,000 inmates in Thailand’s prison system have Covid-19, criticism and calls are mounting to follow the global trend of reducing the total number of prisoners in the country. Human rights groups are calling for the release of inmates held on minor charges, with Amnesty International Thailand requesting those in “unnecessary custody to be minimised” in an open letter sent to the Supreme Court president and Justice Ministry on Tuesday.

Covid-19 outbreaks in prison have been a problem for many countries, with the United Kingdom identifying 12,000 infections and considering plans to prioritise vaccinations for those incarceration facilities. The United States, a country with one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks and the largest prison population in the world, saw 612,000 prisoner infections.

Amnesty International argued that over 600,000 inmates had been scheduled for release in 100 countries to minimise Covid-19 risk by reducing overcrowded prisoners. In New South Wales, Australia 14,000 non-felony inmates are scheduled for release, and in New Jersey in the US 1,000 releases are being considered. Even in Iran, prison populations were thinned with the March release of 85,000 prisoners.

In Thailand, plans for reducing the number of incarcerated prisoners by freeing more than 50,000 inmates are being enacted. Suspending sentences, requesting Royal pardons, and even amending laws to free those serving on drug offences are avenues being pursued, according to Thailand’s Justice Minister. He also denied rumours of a Covid-19 cover-up, saying that the Department of Corrections just received complete data on Wednesday and released it then.

Only six staff members of Thai prisons have been infected while 1,795 prisoners at Bangkok Remand Prison and 1,040 prisoners at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution now have Covid-19. Inmates have reported dire conditions, with symptomatic prisoners found in nearly every holding cell. Field hospitals have been set up within prisons to treat mild infections and those more seriously afflicted have been moved to hospitals.

Overcrowding is a major problem for prisons in Thailand, a country with one of the highest incarceration rates worldwide. The maximum capacity for Thailand’s 143 incarceration centres is 217,000 people but the World Prison Brief reports that Thailand’s prison system now houses over 377,000 inmates, highlighting the need for reducing the number of prisoners in the country.

Authorities at these institutions say that prisoners returning from attending court hearings are responsible for bringing in infections. But prisoners have reported that all inmates returning on any given day are held together for their 14 day isolation period instead of separated to avoid Covid-19 spread.

Vaccines are expected to arrive in prisons next month where, just like the general population, they will first be given to those with chronic diseases and other high-risk inmates. The Department of Corrections expects to receive enough jabs for the entire prison population.

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/thailand-urged-to-join-in-reducing-global-prisoners-for-covid-19

[Riobard]

Now is the time for aggressive backward contact tracing in Thailand if not already being done ...

1 of 2

[Riobard]

2 of 2 

[gerefan]

2 hours ago, reader said:

 

Overcrowding is a major problem for prisons in Thailand, a country with one of the highest incarceration rates worldwide. The maximum capacity for Thailand’s 143 incarceration centres is 217,000 people but the World Prison Brief reports that Thailand’s prison system now houses over 377,000 inmates, highlighting the need for reducing the number of prisoners in the country.

No. It highlights the need for more prisons. Remember they are all volunteers.

Prisoners must be over the moon reading some of this stuff.

[vinapu]

3 hours ago, gerefan said:

No. It highlights the need for more prisons. Remember they are all volunteers.

 

don't forget about those who are rotting in prisons because they defamed somebody's very important dog and equally heinous crimes

[10tazione]

20 hours ago, Riobard said:

Now is the time for aggressive backward contact tracing in Thailand if not already being done ...

I guess contract tracing has its limits where the willingness of people to tell the truth ends ... people who were at an illegal party, at a gambling den, visited a mb or the "mia noi" (second wife in Thailand) etc.

[Riobard]

6 hours ago, 10tazione said:

I guess contract tracing has its limits where the willingness of people to tell the truth ends ... people who were at an illegal party, at a gambling den, visited a mb or the "mia noi" (second wife in Thailand) etc.

While that deficit exists, it has nothing to do uniquely or specifically with the advantages of backward contact tracing. The limitations you refer to apply to both forward and backward tracing methods. If you do not conduct backward contact tracing you totally lose out on identifying the source of new infections. The majority of people that are infected with novel coronavirus did not acquire it in a nefarious context. If you jump on backward contact tracing early in an incidence wave, prior to rendering it impossible due to new incidence volume, you can bend the curve more effectively. Montreal has the same admonishments regarding mitigation rules. Backward tracing has made a relative difference in offsetting a third wave.

[reader]

From The Bangkok Post

50,000 inmates set for release as Covid explosion hits Thai prisons

Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin says about 50,000 prisoners could be released next month as part of urgent plans to tackle the explosion of Covid-19 in Thai prisons.

Somsak was speaking on Monday as overcrowded prisons logged 6,853 new cases, accounting for 71 per cent of Thailand’s daily caseload.

The Department of Corrections is continuing its proactive testing programme in prisons, which have so far recorded a total of 10,384 infections. All prisons will now give weekly reports on the number of inmates infected and recovered from infection, the minister said. The department has also informed the ministry that it needed stocks of Favipiravia and fah talai jone (Andrographis paniculata) to treat infected prisoners.

Meanwhile, a new drugs law before Parliament would enable about 50,000 inmates convicted of non-serious drugs offences to be released wearing electronic monitoring (EM) bracelets, said Somsak.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000986

[vinapu]

they should vaccinate them before releasing them 

[PeterRS]

2 hours ago, vinapu said:

they should vaccinate them before releasing them 

Of course they should, otherwise the number of cases in the country will mushroom exponentially. But this seems yet another case of one government department acting on its own with zero communication with others.

[10tazione]

This tells us not only that Thailand hast lost control over the virus, but also that there are way too many prisoners in Thailand - on place 8 in the world ranking, not far behind the shameful USA.
If 0,45 % of a population need to be incarcerated, something must be wrong.
Also occupancy level is 339%.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate

[spoon]

5 hours ago, vinapu said:

they should vaccinate them before releasing them 

 

2 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Of course they should, otherwise the number of cases in the country will mushroom exponentially. But this seems yet another case of one government department acting on its own with zero communication with others.

Unfortunately, vaccine will not prevent transmission. The more practical way to ensure the released prisioners wont create new clusters is to have them quarantine for 14 days similar to those who arrived from overseas, before releasing them, of course after a negative swab test at the end of quarantine. 

[reader]

Everywhere you look, signs of a self-inflicted crisis are evident. The crowded conditions in migrant worker camps were identified more than a year ago as major breeding grounds for new infections yet little or nothing was done. In one location, infections were linked to having to deposit coins to gain access to a public toilet.

From the Thai Enquirer

Infighting between the public health ministry and the BMA is slowing Thailand’s Covid response

Disagreements and infighting between the Ministry of Public Health and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has intensified in recent days as both try to charter a course out of the current Covid crisis, sources told Thai Enquirer on Wednesday.

The third wave of the pandemic continues unchecked in Thailand as the total number of people infected since April 1 approaches 100,000.

Bangkok continues to be worst hit area in the country with high daily infection rates that have not gone down despite lockdown measures imposed by the local and national government.

Now, sources within the public health ministry and inside parliament tell Thai Enquirer that disagreements between the two largest organizations responsible for managing the situation in Bangkok are threatening the capital’s recovery.

“The governor’s office have basically told the MoPH that Bangkok is their jurisdiction and to butt out,” said a senior advisor to the Ministry of Public Health. “They have their own health advisors and are charting their own path – a path which is sometimes at odds with the ministry’s guideline.”

One such example is the decision by the governor to only focus vaccinations initially on outbreak sites. According to the source within the MOPH, the rate of vaccination inside the capital is actually slower than other outbreak sites like Samut Sakhon and Rayong because of the BMA’s mismanagement.

“I think the governor and his team think that this is a public relations opportunity and are putting their name on every billboard at vaccination sites or proudly proclaiming their covid success,” said the source. “It is tone deaf.”

“We are facing the worst part of the crisis right now and Bangkok is at the epicenter,” said the MP from Bangkok. “If the two most relevant government agencies can’t even see eye-to-eye and work together then what hope does the country have?”

“Right now speed is of the essence but this fight for who gets to take credit is actually costing us time and lives.”

https://www.thaienquirer.com/27671/infighting-between-the-public-health-ministry-and-the-bma-is-slowing-thailands-covid-response/

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From Bangkok Post

Construction camps major cause for concern

Bangkok has five new Covid-19 clusters, raising the total to 34, health authorities announced on Wednesday.

Unhygienic construction camps, many housing more than 1,000 workers, are a major cause of concern. 

Situation Administration, said the new clusters were at Bang Kapi market, a construction workers' camp in Bang Kholaem district, an ice factory in Chatuchak district, a construction workers' camp of Italian-Thai Development Plc in Don Muang district, and a cargo warehouse in Bang Sue district.

"There are concerns about construction workers' camps, which exist in all 50 districts of Bangkok. Some districts have more than 20 camps each, including Bang Kapi, Bang Khen, Lat Phrao and Huai Khwang," she said.

Dr Apisamai said some camps housed more than 1,000 workers. One camp in Bang Khoaem had 1,374 workers. There were seven construction camps in the district.

"In some camps, workers share buckets and cups of drinking water. They must be informed that cannot be allowed. In addition, transport to and from the camps of infected workers must be restricted, to prevent disease transmission to other camps," Dr Apisamai said.

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From the Thaiger / Thai PBS

Restroom turnstile linked to hundreds of Covid infections at Pathum Thani market

The turnstile at a public restroom is said to be linked to hundreds of Covid-19 infections at a Pathum Thani produce market, just north of Bangkok. Health officials tested 10,480 vendors and workers at the Simmummuang fruit and vegetable market and say 867 tested positive with many believed to have contracted the virus by inserting coins in the slot and touching the gate before using the public toilets at the market.

The market is sectioned off into 10 zones, with 2 of them closed off following the outbreak while the other 8 zones remain open. A field hospital has been set up in the closed section of the market to house 400 Covid-19 patients. Another field hospital with 400 beds is being set up and planned to open tomorrow.

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/restroom-turnstile-linked-to-hundreds-of-covid-infections-at-pathum-thani-market

 

[reader]

From Channel News Asia

COVID-19 sweeps through Thailand's overcrowded prisons

The Thai prison population stood at around 311,000 earlier in 2021, more than two-and-a-half times the system's official capacity. (Photo: AFP/WILLIAM DAVIES)

BANGKOK: A coronavirus surge sweeping through Thailand's prisons has thrown the spotlight on the kingdom's overcrowded penal system, where some inmates have less space to sleep than the inside of a coffin.

More than 22,000 people have tested positive inside jails, where inmates living cheek by jowl have been encouraged to keep wearing their masks even while they sleep.

Authorities have floated plans to give early releases to prisoners with underlying medical conditions and have announced funding for more testing and medical care in recent days.

But those behind bars say they have been kept in the dark about the seriousness of the outbreak.

"Prisoners don't have the knowledge to protect themselves," said Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a high-profile activist facing charges under Thailand's harsh royal defamation law.

Somyot was bailed last month and told AFP that he had not been tested for COVID-19 once during his 10-week stint in custody.

He was not worried about contracting the disease while in jail because he had no idea about the level of risk.

"But after this I'm so scared (for everyone still inside) ... if you are inside the prison you are at risk, it's unavoidable," he said.

Thailand's prison outbreak has skyrocketed from just 10 publicly announced cases a month ago and sparked growing public concern after a handful of prominent activists contracted the illness.

The Thai prison population stood at around 311,000 earlier this year, the International Federation for Human Rights said - more than two-and-a-half times the system's official capacity.

Four inmates in every five are serving time for drug charges because of harsh anti-narcotics laws that can see offenders jailed for a decade for possessing just a few methamphetamine pills.

Many cells are so packed with bodies that some inmates only have half a metre of space.

"That is less room for a body than the inside of a coffin," Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin told local media in February.

Somsak said he was examining ways to give early releases to prisoners with underlying medical conditions, possibly through a royal pardon.

Even if the plan goes ahead, prisoners will still have to complete a quarantine before returning home.

"For us to bail anyone or do anything, it has to be done properly," Somsak told reporters on Monday. "We can't allow them to spread infections."

Rights groups say the plan should go further and urged authorities to also free non-violent offenders in order to reduce overcrowding.

"Authorities should reduce the detainee population... of those held on politically motivated charges or for minor offences," said Brad Adams of Human Rights Watch.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/covid-19-thailand-prison-jail-overcrowded-outbreak-14909396

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From Tourism Authority of Thailand

[reader]

From the Tourism Authority of Thailand

Bangkok, 30 May, 2021 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to provide the latest update that the Thai Cabinet agreed to extend the Emergency Decree nationwide for two more months until 31 July, 2021.

Approved by the Cabinet on 25 May, 2021, and officially published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette on 27 May, 2021, Thai Prime Minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha signed the announcement on the twelfth consecutive extension of the state of emergency for two more months after it expires on 31 May, 2021.

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From Bangkok Post

73% of Thais feel 'hopeless' amid pandemic

About three-quarters of the population feel anxious and hopeless about their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the result of an opinion survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll.

The poll was conducted online on 1,713 people throughout the country during May 24-27 to gauge the population's mental state in the "Covid-19 era".

Regarding their state of mind, 75.35% said they were under stress and worried; 72.95% felt hopeless; 58.27% felt irritated; 45.19% frightened; and 13.50% were in a normal mental condition.

Asked about the causes, 88.33% cited the worsened Covid-19 pandemic; 74.53% pointed to the economic slump; 51.89% cited concerns over vaccination; 36.50% mentioned travel and traffic conditions; and 15.98% cited health concerns.