A staff member disinfects staircases at a school in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 26, 2021. Thailand said Wednesday that from next week, it will reopen most schools, excluding those in Samut Sakhon province, the epicenter of the country's latest COVID-19 outbreak. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

Thailand said Wednesday that from next week, it will reopen most schools, excluding those in Samut Sakhon province, the epicenter of the country's latest COVID-19 outbreak.

The Ministry of Education ordered schools to close in 28 provinces and regions, which were declared as areas under maximum control, at the beginning of January.

All public and private schools as well as educational institutions in the 27 provinces, including the capital Bangkok, are allowed to resume onsite classes from Feb. 1, according to a directive issued by Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan.

Schools would remain closed in Samut Sakhon, where the latest outbreak erupted after a seafood market vendor was confirmed of being infected in mid-December.

The announcement came after the country's reporting of its second highest number of new daily caseload Wednesday, with a majority of which detected following mass testing in Samut Sakhon.

The directive said the number of students per classroom must not exceed 25, while anti-pandemic measures must be strictly followed, such as the wearing of face masks and the washing of their hands with alcohol gel.

As of Wednesday, Thailand's total COVID-19 caseload rose to 15,465, with more than 10,000 of the infections reported since mid-December.