Delta spread beyond Bangkok is pushing Thai cases to record

Thailand is bracing for the emergence of new Covid clusters as the highly infectious delta variant spreads rapidly beyond the current epicenter of metropolitan Bangkok.

About 60% of Thailand’s new coronavirus cases in recent days have been reported from outside the capital and surrounding provinces, with low vaccination rates and looser movement curbs, official data showed. The country’s rate of new infections per million population at nearly 300 now dwarfs that of Indonesia or India, with a new daily record 21,379 cases reported on Friday. The rapid spread of delta may force the government to extend and expand the crippling Covid-containment measures -- such as curfews and business closures -- that already cover 40% of Thailand’s population and three-quarters of the economy. The worsening outbreak may also scuttle plans to reopen borders to fully vaccinated tourists from mid-October and jump-start the tourism-reliant economy that’s seen its currency weaken to a three-year low.