A Thai hotel where a COVID-19-infected Egyptian military delegate stayed was ordered to partially close on Monday, so the building can go through disinfection while staff members be quarantined.
The provincial administration of Rayong province has ordered the quarantine of some staff and partial closure of a hotel in eastern coast of Thailand in Rayong Province where a member of an Egyptian military delegation found to be infected with COVID-19 stayed.
“Health officials in the province have been working frantically to trace anyone who may have been in physical contact with the infected Egyptian military officer,’’ said Rayong Governor Surasak Charoensirichoke.
“We have reports that he went shopping in a mall and visited several places before he left for the airport.’’
The Egyptian military delegation made a stopover at U-Tapao military airport at Rayong Province on June 8 and checked into a hotel in the province.
Thai health officials took swab samples on the Egyptian delegation team for tests.
The test results revealed on Sunday that out of the delegation team members, one tested positive for COVID-19.
By that time, the delegation team had already left for Egypt.
Governor Surasak said it was unknown how many of the Egyptians went shopping, but officials were checking surveillance cameras at the hotel and the shopping mall.
According to regulations, government guests and foreign delegations, on short visits to Thailand, are exempted from 14-day mandatory quarantine, but they are required to confine themselves to their hotels.
Spokesman of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) Taweesin Visanuyothin said that as of Monday, Thailand has not seen a single local infection for 49 days.
“We must do anything to stem and contain the pandemic,’’ said Taweesin. “Thailand cannot afford a second wave of infections.’’
