Chumphon locals worry illegal migrants may have brought Covid-19
Chumphon residents were terrified and accused authorities of negligence when seven of the 32 Myanmar nationals who illegally entered Thailand from Malaysia on Wednesday (July 22) were found to have high fever.
The migrant workers had been stranded in Malaysia due to the Covid-19 outbreak and wanted to return home. So, they decided to take the natural route via Songkhla province.
However, they were caught in Chumphon when locals found them hiding in a palm plantation.
They were immediately sent for Covid-19 tests, and seven of them were found to have high fever.
The authorities were forced to quarantine them at Chumphon Khet Udomsak Hospital after the community leader refused to allocate a quarantine site, because he said the area is a crowded fishing area.
Residents also held a protest saying they were afraid that Covid-19 would spread in the area. In response, the authorities promised to be stricter and to follow public health measures.
So far, 100 illegal migrants have been able to enter Thailand, raising the question why so many of them have been able to get through.