Thai Authorities Put Pattaya Under 21-Day Lockdown Due to COVID-19 - Response Center

BANGKOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2020) The world-famous resort city of Pattaya in the Thai province of Chonburi will be closed for non-residents for 21 days, starting at 2 p.m. (07.00 GMT) on April 9 to combat the spread of COVID-19, a spokesman of the national coronavirus response center said on Thursday.

"This is the decision of the city and Chonburi province, associated with an increase in the number of cases in Pattaya, a significant part of which are foreign citizens," Taweesin Wisanuyothin said at a briefing.

Pattaya is now closed to all but medical vehicles, medical personnel, military personnel, police officers and other civil servants who are responsible for combating the coronavirus epidemic, as well as for people delivering food and essentials to the city, he said.

The Russian embassy in Thailand is working with the Thai authorities to ensure that Russian citizens can freely travel through a checkpoint in Pattaya to the Suvarnabhumi airport for boarding for evacuation flights, the embassy's spokesperson told Sputnik.

"We hope to reach all the necessary agreements within today. Information on the procedure for leaving Pattaya will appear on the website of the embassy as soon as this happens," he said.

The next evacuation flight from Bangkok is planned for Saturday, so that there is enough time to prepare everything, he added.