BANGKOK – The National Communicable Disease Committee’s decision to declare COVID-19 the nation’s 14th dangerous communicable disease will empower officials to impose stricter preventative measures against COVID-19 and will discourage those infected from becoming “Super Spreaders.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul made the comment after the committee made the decision. He stressed that the COVID-19 situation in Thailand is under control, while adding that once the declaration is published in the royal gazette, officials will be authorized to implement public health policies that will prevent or slow down the spread of the coronavirus. These measures may include fines and jail terms.
The term “Super Spreader” was used by South Korean medical officers to describe a patient who refused to be tested for COVID-19, despite having shown symptoms. The patient was allegedly responsible for a recent surge in the number of COVID-19 infections.