The government on Thursday reported 305 new Covid-19 cases - 193 local infections, 109 from active testing and three arrivals - raising the total to 9,636, and one more death lifted the fatality toll to 67.
Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said the latest death was a Thai man, aged 88, who also had cancer and was bed-ridden.
He caught Covid-19 from his son, who had been in an at-risk area in Rayong province. The son visited him at home on Dec 22, later tested positive for the disease and was admitted to a hospital in Rayong.
New cases over the previous 24 hours included 46 in Bangkok, 37 in Samut Sakhon, 27 in Chon Buri, 25 in Samut Prakan, 23 in Rayong, 8 in Chanthaburi.
Active testing found 109 new cases in Samut Sakhon alone. Of them, 107 are migrants.
Three infected arrivals came from Russia, Turkey and Myanmar.
Another is a Thai woman, 27, who worked at an entertainment place in Myanmar and sneaked back to Mae Sot district of Tak on Jan 4.
"New cases are still rising at a concerning pace," Dr Taweesilp said.
Of the total 9,636 cases, 4,521 (46.9%) had recovered, including 103 discharged over the previous 24 hours, and 5,048 were receiving treatment.
Dr Taweesilp said the government was trying to contain Covid-19 by "causing inconvenience" for people who wanted to travel to and from five provinces of Samut Sakhon, Chon Buri, Rayong, Trat and Chanthaburi and 23 adjacent provinces.
Officials were operating checkpoints on both main and minor roads linking the provinces. People who needed to travel between the provinces must show official documents to prove their travel was necessary. Their employers could issue such documents, he said.
