Bangkok Immigration Officers May Have Come Into Contact With Arriving Travellers Before Diagnosis
As Thailand pulls out all stops to curb the spread of Covid-19, its capital Bangkok reports 2 new shocking cases today (11 Mar).
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), 2 immigration officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok have tested positive for Covid-19.
What’s especially worrying is that the officers may have interacted with numerous travellers prior to their diagnosis.
Officers with Covid-19 worked in separate areas of Bangkok airport
An official from Thailand’s Disease Control Department revealed that the men worked in separate parts of the airport.
One led a team in screening locals who returned from virus hotspot South Korea, which now has one of the highest Covid-19 case counts outside of China.
Details of the other officer’s job scope are unclear.
However, both may have likely come into contact with arriving visitors before their diagnosis, which definitely raises alarm bells.
The concern is especially because they would have interacted with foreigners and handled their passports.
One officer fell sick on Saturday (7 Mar), and the other on Sunday (8 Mar), reported CNA.
Any inbound travellers on or before those dates should probably be wary and monitor their health closely.
Thailand case count uncertain due to limited testing
While 6 new cases on Wednesday (11 Mar) bring Thailand’s total Covid-19 count to 59, the low figure may not be an accurate reflection of the situation there.
CNA notes that the limited testing programme could mean that many possible cases may not have been accounted for.
We hope the country will step up its detection measures in light of the immigration officers’ cases.
Considering the recent actions Thailand has taken, we hope that they’ll be efficient and effective, to prevent the spread from going out of control.
Featured image adapted from CAYIN Technology.
