ANKARA

Thailand has detected its first cases of the UK coronavirus variant, a medical expert said on Wednesday.

In a Facebook post, Prof. Yong Poovorawan, who teaches at the faculty of medicine at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, said there were 24 cases of the UK variant of the deadly coronavirus in the country.

Earlier in the day, a government statement said that new 334 coronavirus cases were reported in Thailand which included seven imported cases. The statement did not mention any possible cases of the UK strain in the country.

The Buddhist-majority country has reported a total of 29,905 infections, including 95 deaths since the outbreak.

Authorities in the capital Bangkok also ordered 196 entertainment establishments to close until the 19th of this month after rising in infections linked to these businesses was reported.