Thailand to announce nationwide curfew starting Friday

A medical worker draws blood from a man for the preliminary blood test of tested for COVID-19 at the Chulalongkorn University Health Service Center in Bangkok, Thailand on April 2. (REUTERS Photo)

BANGKOK, April 2 (Reuters): Thailand is to announce a nationwide curfew between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. starting Friday to try to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, the government said in a statement on Thursday.

The curfew will have some exceptions, including for the transport of medical supplies, movement of people into quarantine, patients and travel of medical personnel, according to the statement shown to reporters.

"The prime minister will make the announcement this evening on national television around 6 p.m.," deputy spokeswoman deputy spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek told Reuters when reached by telephone.