Villages in southern Thailand closed off due to cases of South African variant

2,713 new Covid-19 cases and 30 coronavirus related deaths were reported today in Thailand, raising the total case count since the start of the pandemic to 103,350 and the death toll to 806. The are now 45,307 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand.

Out of the new cases reported today, 206 infections were at correctional facilities. Thousands of inmates at around a dozen Thai prisons have tested positive for Covid-19 this month. The outbreaks have prompted Thai government to tackle its longstanding problem of overcrowding in prisons. There’s now talk that a number of inmates will be released to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Other major outbreaks are concentrated in crowded areas including Bangkok’s slums, construction camps, markets and factories. Health officials are using the so-called “bubble and seal” method at hotpot areas in crowded areas, according to Ministry of…