BANGKOK – The Transport Company, the state-owned long distance bus operator, has implemented enhanced hygiene and health screening measures affecting and protecting passengers. It is manning more body temperature checkpoints and offering sanitizer dispensers to serve more passengers travelling home following the closure of many businesses in Bangkok.
The Transport Company President Jirasak Yaovatsakul said the number of passengers travelling to the provinces from Bangkok has reached 80,000, while the company has been encouraging passengers to wear face masks and practice social distancing in an attempt to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
During this period, bus drivers will clean the interior of the bus and the seats more frequently. Alcohol hand sanitizers are available in all buses. The company is also arranging more bus services to cater to the growing volume of passengers, even though numbers are expected to return to normal over coming days.
At the bus station, buses are now parked so that there is one bay empty between them to prevent crowding at the platform. The Transport Company has requested additional thermometers and hand sanitizers for use at bus stations. It is however urging the general public to refrain from travelling or visiting bus stations at this time unless absolutely necessary.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health has reached out to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports, the governor of the State Railway of Thailand, and the director general of the Department of Land Transport, calling on them to screen passengers departing Bangkok for other provinces, and to clean the facilities and vehicles before and after services. Public Health also requires the disinfecting of commonly touched surfaces such as handrails, doors, and toilets.
The Ministry of Public Health has requested passenger details be recorded, and has recommended transport operators block-off certain seats to allow passengers to be seated with a good distance between them. Operators are urged to provide information on prevention measures to passengers, including hand hygiene and mask wearing. Any passengers who exhibit fever, coughs, or respiratory symptoms upon arrival must be reported to local public health officials at the destination. (NNT)
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