BANGKOK– The government prepares quarantine facilities to receive 200 Thai returnees a day and is considering financial aid for the people stranded in other countries, said Dr Taweesin Wisanuyothin, spokesman of the government’s Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
The daily arrivals were limited at 200 to ensure effective quarantine, he explained. Up to 20,000 people planned to return to Thailand and some of them were waiting near the border. The returns could start after April 18, the last day of a ban on inbound flights, he said.
“If there are more quarantine places then, more daily arrivals will be welcomed. There are problems with some hotels proposed to serve as returnees’ quarantine because local people are protesting. This limits quarantine venues. Another reason is that we must find doctors to supervise the places,” Dr Taweesin said.
He also said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was working out financial aid for Thais stranded in other countries in order to slow down their return trips.
Meanwhile, the government reported 50 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and a new death case, a 43-year-old woman.
The new cases included 27 who were in contact with previously recorded patients and three visitors. Thailand accumulated 2,473 COVID-19 cases, 1,013 of whom recovered and were discharged from hospitals, Dr Taweesin said. (TNA)
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