Thai police check boats from neighbouring Burma amid Covid-19 spike

Thai police check boats from neighbouring Burma amid Covid-19 spike

Thai police check a river port where ships from Burma bring in cargo goods amid a spike in Covid-19 cases in the neighbouring country.

Officials fear that vessels delivering goods and the workers onboard them could bring in fresh cases of the coronavirus to Thailand, which has recorded just two local transmissions in more than 100 days.

Footage shows the checks being carried out this morning in Ranong in the south of Thailand.

Burma, now also known as Myanmar, has recorded 4,467 cases of Covid-19 and 70 deaths.

Thailand closed its borders on March 22 and government chiefs are now torn between keeping them closed and stopping the spread of the virus, or re-opening to international visitors to stimulate the tourism-reliant economy, which accounted for up to 20 per cent of GBP in 2019.