Seventy-six army engineers who returned from South Sudan tested negative for the coronavirus disease 2019.
Gen Paripat Palasin, deputy chief of defense forces, said the 76 soldiers formed the last group of the first batch of army engineers who returned from their missions in South Sudan. They arrived at Don Mueang airport on a chartered flight of the United Nations. The flight also included a police officer and all the 77 officers had been quarantined in South Sudan for 14 days before the return flight. They tested negative for COVID-19.
Gen Paripat said that Thailand, as a member state of the UN, had to send its soldiers to support UN missions in South Sudan and the qualifications of Thai soldiers met UN’s demand for missions there. Thai soldiers were among about 20,000 soldiers from 72 countries deployed for the UN in South Sudan.
The armed forces were aware of spreading COVID-19 in South Sudan and implemented measures to protect the new batch of Thai soldiers from the disease there, he assured. Thai army engineers were in South Sudan for the construction of roads and buildings.
The measures included social distancing, the adequate provision of medical supplies, adjusted field operations and delayed meetings with local people, Gen Paripat said.
DrChollasap Sharma of the Ministry of Public Health said the 77 returnees did not have a fever or any respiratory symptom and would be quarantined in Chon Buri province.
Lt Gen Charnchai Dikkhapanyo, chief of the Army Medical Department, said 32 Thai army engineers who had returned from South Sudan contracted COVID-19. Of them, 29 soldiers remained at Phramongkutklao Hospital and were asymptomatic. Three other soldiers tested negative twice and were quarantined at Fort Phanurangsi Hospital in Ratchaburi province. (TNA)
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