Some 200 people on a flight from South Korea were taken to a naval facility in Sattahip after landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Saturday so that authorities can screen them for coronavirus and quarantine them as needed.
They were being brought to the Royal Thai Navy reception building where Thais evacuated from Wuhan had stayed last month, Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said.
He said it was more practical to take the passengers to Sattahip in Chon Buri than to screen them all at Suvarnabhumi, where the operation could cause some disruption. Anyone found to have a fever will be sent to hospital for further treatment and monitoring.
All passengers from Daegu and Gyeongbak — the hardest-hit areas in South Korea — will be quarantined in Sattahip.
Some of the remaining Thai passengers will be allowed to go home while others will be quarantined in designated sites in their hometowns where they will be monitored by provincial public health officials.
Tourists will be sent to their hotels and are required to report their health status to officials throughout their stay in the country, he said.
In a related development, Mr Sathit dismissed reports of a shortage of face masks, insisting there was no lack of the protective gear for medical workers.
“We get a quota of 400,000 pieces [a day] from the Commerce Ministry and will ask for another 50,000 for the Sattahip facility,” he said.
“If any medical worker complains about the shortage, the ministry will ask the chief of his or her facility for an explanation.”
