ER
PHUKET Island, the mainland as a tourist attraction in Thailand, began quarantined today. In an effort to curb the spread of the corona virus, all modes of transportation to the island are prohibited except by air.
Reported by Bloomberg, Phuket Governor Pakkapong Taweepat said the policy would last for at least 1 month. Vehicles and ships providing essential goods and services are excluded.
This southern province is the first region to carry out such an action. Restricted access to the island confirms the emergency measures taken by the government last week, unnecessary businesses are closed and interprovincial travel is not recommended.
Phuket is known to be the region with the largest corona case in Thailand, along with other popular tourist destinations, Pattaya, as well as Bangkok and several provinces in the south. The Thai Ministry of Health said the case in Thailand rose 143 to 1,388, with one additional death reported, bringing the toll to 7.
The surge in cases in the past few days has raised concerns that hospitals in some areas may not be able to handle large numbers of patients. The Thai Navy has prepared 1,200 extra beds at its facilities to prepare patients with corona positives.
Phuket is expected to be one of the provinces worst affected by the plague because of its dependence on the tourism industry. The Bank of Thailand states that around 56 percent of total jobs are in tourism-related industries. [antaranews/photo special]
