“No people are allowed to enter or leave the areas, except for the delivery of food, cooking gas, medical equipment, as well as emergency ambulance and medical staff,” said a provincial order issued by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew last night (Aug 10).
The order is in effect from today (Aug 11) through next Tuesday (Aug 17).
The order explained that the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee agreed on Monday (Aug 9) to lock down the area around the Phuket Town Fresh Market 1 and the Downtown Plaza market in order to control the COVID-19 infections throughout the area.
“The locked down area is along Ranong Rd, Soi Phuthorn and Bangkok Rd, and there are to be 12 checkpoints around the area,” the order said.
“Officers from Phuket City Municipality, Phuket City Police, Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command and other relevant officers are assigned to standby at each checkpoint,” the order noted.
“During the lockdown, officers from the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) and Phuket City Municipality will test people in the area [for COVId-19] using RT-PCR tests or antigen test kits,” the order added.
“Phuket City Municipality will deliver food and other essential goods for people in the area, and arrange for staff to clean and sanitise the markets,” the order said.
Only yesterday, Phuket City Municipality ordered the Phuket City Fresh Market 1 on Ranong Rd to remain closed until Aug 18 and the Downtown Plaza market located across the road to close until Aug 22.
Those closures came after Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon last Wednesday (Aug 4) confirmed that 27 people at the market had been confirmed as infected with COVID-19.
Those 27 cases contributed to Phuket on Tuesday marking what was then a record 65 cases confirmed on one day.