Virus outbreaks at Thai factories threaten export sector, recovery

* Virus outbreaks in factories threaten wider economic impact * Infections have affected only small number of factories so far * But rapid virus spread is hurting output at some manufacturers * Govt's 'bubble and seal' containment policy draws criticism A series of coronavirus outbreaks in Thai factories is raising concerns that the export sector could be hit hard, threatening to further undermine an economy as it struggles to recover from the pandemic's crippling blow to the crucial tourism industry. The virus has swept through over 130 factories, including those supplying international brands, with more than 7,100 cases across 11 provinces, making manufacturing one of the top sources of infections along with prisons and construction camps. The affected plants are just a fraction of about 63,000 factories in Thailand that employ 3.4 million, government data shows, but officials worry about the impact on exports that have kept the struggling economy moving as income from tourism has collapsed.