The Thai government confirmed 102 cases of coronavirus on Sunday bringing the total number of patients to 2,169.
The number of fatalities also rose by 3, bringing the total number of dead to 23.
62 more patients have recovered, which brings the total number of recovered patients to 674.
Thai airports have been shut down by the government until Monday morning stranding Thai passengers around the world. (Read one account here)
“We have to apologize to Thais that are stranded abroad due to the new measures,” said government spokesman Dr Thaweesin Visanuyothin, “But if 200 people come back per day, that is 1,000 people in 5 days. We have to prepare for your arrival. You are our brothers and relatives and every one of you is important.”
Airport escapees
The Thai government said it has rounded up all Thai citizens that left the airport and skipped government-mandated quarantine on Friday.
Those that escaped government quarantine said that government regulations were unclear prior to their arrival and they were forced to wait for hours before being told to go into lockdown.
The government said that people who had returned home risked infecting their loved ones and spreading the disease even further. Ministry of Public Health officials called the action ‘irresponsible.’
Worldwide numbers climb
The number of people infected by the coronavirus continues to climb around the world with 1.2 million infected as of Sunday. The United States continues to be the epicenter of the disease, with President Donald Trump asking the American public for a “tough” two week period.
Spain has also surpassed Italy’s infected total to be the country with the second most number of infections.
In South East Asia, Indonesia has passed Thailand to be the country with the third most number of infections behind only Malaysia and the Philippines.
Working on a cure
As coronavirus cases soared past the 1.2 million infected mark, scientists and researchers around the world are scrambling to come up with a viable vaccine that can fight back against the disease.
Our James Wilson has more.