The number of confirmed Covid-19 infections in Thailand has risen to 59 with the announcement of six more on Wednesday (March 11) – and none of the new cases involves Thai migrant labourers just returned from South Korea.

The Public Health Ministry said the newly confirmed cases are:

• A 21-year-old Immigration official stationed at Suvarnabhumi Airport who began showing symptoms on Sunday and was confirmed as infected in two lab tests

• An employee of the same airport, age 40, who fell ill on Saturday. These people did not work in the same area.

• A company man, 25, whose “mysterious” pneumonia turned out to be Covid-19 infection. He has not travelled abroad, but recently visited a popular Thai tourist attraction. He is being treated at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute. No infection has been found in any of his close contacts so far.

• A woman, 27, recently returned from South Korea who began showing symptoms on Sunday. She is being treated at Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital in Bangkok.

• Another 40-year-old man who returned from Japan on February 25 and was suspected of being infected while having a broken wrist treated at a private hospital

• A Singaporean male, 36, who fell ill on Friday, also admitted to Bamrasnaradura

Of the 59 people confirmed as infected in Thailand, 34 have recovered, 23 remain under medical care and one has died.

Ministry officials assert that Thailand is still only in the second phase of the contagion, with limited local transmission. The third phase would bring a massive breakout.

There are 241 Thai labourers just returned from South Korea – 104 male and 137 female – in quarantine at Sattahip Naval Base. Eight of them were working in the city of Daegu or North Gyeongsang province, which have seen that country’s worst outbreaks.

The 80 labourers who evaded screening checkpoints at Suvarnabhumi on their return from South Korea have all been located, persuaded by relatives and friends to report to health authorities.