The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed earlier news that 32 Thais in South Korea have contracted COVID-19.
The 32 cases were confirmed by the Thai Embassy in Seoul as being in Cheonan City in South Chungcheong province, 80 kilometers outside the South Korean capital. The first case was detected by South Korean officials on December 23 and led to testing of a further 90 Thais working at a restaurant in the city, uncovering 31 more infections with the other 28 still pending results.
All of the infected individuals are being placed in quarantine for care but several were discovered to be illegal migrants. A public relations campaign has been started to find others at risk of exposure to the virus from the Thai citizens, with local officials seeking to ensure that even illegal workers receive appropriate testing.
The Thai embassy is now coordinating with the Department of Medicine via a LINE group to provide guidance. Direct communication with the patients has also been established. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that full care will be provided to the group. (NNT)