Bangkok authorities are taking stringent measures against COVID-19, after the Pinklao area was declared at risk of exposure to the disease. The Department of Health is proactively screening people who worked at a neighborhood karaoke venue or visited nearby shops on December 25th and 26th.
Officials from the Department of Disease Control, the Department of Health and the Bangkok Noi District Office, ran background checks on some 300 employees working in the karaoke venue and shops in the area, and collected swab samples from them all. The operation was carried out after the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) issued an urgent announcement to people who visited E-san Krong Kaew restaurant and Nong Mai karaoke shop, near Pata Pinklao department store, between December 15th and 29th, as a COVID-19 patient from Nonthaburi province also visited these venues on those days. Some employees tested positive to the disease, and there may be a cluster of infections.
The atmosphere around Pata Pinklao was subdued today, with only a few shops open, due to the New Year holiday. Food and bakery vendors said their sales had dropped following the news about the COVID-19 situation in the area. However, their businesses continue to follow disease-control measures, such as setting up safety screena, washing their hands regularly, using gloves and providing alcohol-based hand sanitizers, so as to restore customer confidence.
The BMA has asked people who visited these places to urgently contact the Department of Health at 02-203-2393 and 02-203-2396, so that medical personnel can collect their swab samples, to prevent a wider outbreak. (NNT)
