Bangkok is preparing to open a field hospital as officials warn of an infection outbreak

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is considering establishing a field hospital in the event of a rapid rise in Covid-19 infections, that could overwhelm the capital's medical facilities. According to Thai PBS World, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the BMA and the Ministry of Interior to plan space for a field hospital.

The Prime Minister says he is confident that infection numbers in Bangkok are under control, but he urges people to continue following disease prevention measures such as avoiding high-risk areas, wearing masks, and building social distance. The Prime Minister has made it clear that he does not want another lockdown or to order the closing of entertainment venues across the country. He will, however, warn that venues that ignore disease prevention measures will be shut down immediately.

Three large-scale parties held on over the weekend on Phuket's southern island resulted in the province's first infection in 103 days. The events were held at the Shelter and Illuzion nightclubs in Patong, as well as Café del Mar in Kamala, and were organized by promoter Kolour. The vast majority of attendees did not seem wearing masks, and the large crowds (approximately to be over 3,000 at Café del Mar) made social distancing impossible. So far, the parties have been linked to four new infections.

Meanwhile, the Department of Disease Control's Opas Karnkavinpong says that if no restrictions are imposed over the holiday, new cases may top 1,000 a day. The Bangkok entertainment venues cluster has now resulted in 291 infections across the capital and beyond. Opas says those numbers will almost certainly increase and spread throughout Thailand without tougher restrictions being implemented over the holiday period.

The Bangkok cluster is the UK variant, according to virologist Yong Poovorawan of Chulalongkorn University, which can spread 1.7 times faster than the original strain. According to his, infections in 2021 could be ten times greater than they had been last year. However, if current restrictions were held 10 times more relaxed than they were during the first outbreak in 2020, infections could rise 100 times higher than they were last year.