A second hospital has been prepared to receive Covid-19 patients, with six new cases reported in Chiang Rai among people returning from working in Tachilek, in Myanmar.
On Monday, nine Thais returning from Tachilek were among 21 new cases.
The new cases included four women who worked at the 1G1-7 Hotel in Tachilek. They returned and reported to authorities last Wednesday. Their tests on Sunday confirmed their infections.
The other two women had worked at the Hollywood nightclub and Karaoke bar in the Myanmar town, and returned on Saturday. Their tests on Sunday were also positive.
All are being treated at Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital.
Thailand has 38 cases linked to people returning from Tachilek, 26 of them found in Chiang Rai, since the first was detected on Nov 24.
Officials in the northern province are working with their Myanmar counterparts to encourage Thais working in the Myanmar town to return through the official border checkpoint at the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, hoping to contain the outbreak.
But although they return through the checkpoint they will still be charged with crossing illegally, because the border is officially closed.
The hotspot in Tachilek is the 1G1-7 Hotel. It promotes itself as an entertainment complex and is just 1.5 kilometres from the Thai border, Mae Sai district, and 2-3km from the border crossing. It has foreign investors and offers a full range of pubs, young girls, drinks, karaoke and a casino.
Hundreds of Thais work there.
The hotel has been closed since Nov 24 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
