The spokesman of Thailand’s COVID-19 taskforce has called for confidence in the public health system and disease control measures after two cases of coronavirus-infected foreigners, an Egyptian soldier and a daughter of Sudanese diplomat, have generated concerns over a second wave of infection in Thailand.
The 43-year-old Egyptian soldier, who made a short visit in Thailand last week, and the nine-year-old daughter of a Sudanese diplomat have been tested positive for COVID-19 after they were exempted from mandatory quarantine.
Dr. Taweesilp Wisanuyotin, spokesman of the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), extended his apology to the Thai people about the two incidents that caused fear of a surge of infections.
The spokesman said the CCSA now had verified the data and timeline concerning the Egyptian soldier and the diplomat’s daughter to determine the risk of infections. Contact tracing had been complete and everyone at risk had been identified, he said.
Responding to the public outcry over the potential virus exposure, Dr. Taweesilp said it would be impossible to have zero new cases forever because high infection rate continued in many countries around the world.
He urged Thai people to be confident in the country’s COVID-19 prevention measures that had prevented local virus transmission for over 50 days.
The CCSA and other government agencies have been criticized for its leniency towards foreign officials, by compromising the public safety. The 43-year-old Egyptian soldier is one of 31 military crewmen who made a stopover in Thailand between July 8 and 11. They stayed at a hotel and visited shopping malls in violation of the conditions for Thailand entry.
Critics also lashed out at the government for allowing the nine-year-old daughter of the Sudanese diplomat to leave the airport for their residence in central Bangkok before her test result came out.
The CCSA spokesman also reported four new coronavirus cases which are all Thai citizens returning from abroad.
Two of them returned from the UAE and one each from Egypt and the US before being tested positive for the virus at state quarantine centers, he said. (TNA)
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