FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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New team to review criteria for state quarantine sites after signs of possible risk found

New team to review criteria for state quarantine sites after signs of possible risk found

The Public Health Ministry has set up a panel to assess the 101 alternative state quarantine centres (ASQs) and see if allowing quarantined people to use hotel facilities will put others at risk.

Dr Tares Krassanairawiwong, chief of the Department of Health Service Support, said traces of the Covid-19 virus was found on gym equipment at a hotel in Samut Prakan that was being used as an ASQ. The team has found that several points need to be reviewed, such as allowing quarantined people to use the gym, how many times must an area be cleaned to ensure all signs of the virus have been removed, etc.

Also read: French tourist develops Covid-19 symptoms after completing mandatory quarantine


Dr Tares said that even though all quarantine sites have been provided with strict guidelines, some hotels may not follow them meticulously. Hence, he said, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has to boost awareness and understanding to guarantee safety while ensuring travellers’ comfort.


One approach will be to classify countries based on risk levels to determine guidelines for treating each quarantined person. This list of low, medium and high-risk countries can be considered every 15 days.
As for the Samut Prakan hotel where a French woman who later tested positive had been staying, health authorities have instructed it to stop accepting new guests until the current lot has moved out.


So far, 101 hotels providing 13,004 rooms in total have been chosen as ASQ facilities, including two that are under review and seven are awaiting approval. Meanwhile, 21 hotels have been approved outside Bangkok and its vicinity, namely one in Buri Ram, one in Chonburi, eight in Phuket, one in Prachinburi and 10 in Surat Thani.

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