Bangkok (VNA) – Thai authorities announced onDecember 20 that the country will begin to test tens of thousands of people forcoronavirus and extend curbs on movement, after a record daily surge incoronavirus cases to over 500.

Taweesin Wisanuyothin, spokesman forthe Thai government's Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration said byDecember 23, the country aim to conduct 10,300 tests in the southwest province ofSamut Sakhon, where the outbreak appeared, and nearby provinces such as SamutSongkhram and Nakhon Pathom.

Active case findings willcontinue in several provinces, actually across the country, he noted.

Thailand, the first country outside China to report coronavirus infections, haslargely kept the outbreak under control with 4,907 cases and 60 deaths as ofDecember 17.

However, the countryconfirmed 576 new infections on December 19-20, including 516 migrant workersin Samut Sakhon province.

Previously, on December17, the Thai Government announced one case of community infection - a woman vendorat the Central Shrimp Market in Samut Sakhon. According to epidemiologicalinformation, the woman has not left Thailand and the source of infection hasnot been determined.

ThaiMinister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul said that the outbreak may haveoriginated from illegal migrant workers from the Myanmar border into SamutSakhon, which is a fishing hub with tens of thousands of migrant workers fromcountries in the region.

The Cambodian government on December 20 asked local authorities tostrengthen safety measures along the border after neighbouring Thailandreported more than 500 COVID-19 cases in its Samut Sakhon, which is locatedabout 300 km away from Cambodia's border.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng said in a statement that the authorities alongCambodia's provincial border with Thailand must be on high alert and must checkhealth for all incoming travelers thoroughly, screening their body's temperaturesand requiring them to fill in health declaration forms.

All travelers entering Cambodia must undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine, andtheir samples must be taken on the same day they enter Cambodia, he added.

Cambodia has reported no new cases of COVID-19 infections in the last fivedays. According to its Ministry of Health, the country has recorded a total of362 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, with no deaths and 345 recoveries.

Meanwhile, the Philippinesannounced 1,754 new cases of COVID-19 and 36 deaths on December 20, raising thetotal cases to 459,789 and fatalities to 8,947./.