US secretary of state cancels visit to Thailand after reporter tests positive
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has cancelled his visit to Thailand scheduled on Thursday after a reporter travelling with his delegation contracted Covid-19, the US Embassy in Bangkok said on its Facebook page on Wednesday.
“Secretary of State Antony J Blinken spoke today with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai. The secretary expressed his deep regret to the foreign minister that he would not be able to visit Bangkok this week,” the post said, quoting an announcement by the State Department.
“He explained that in order to mitigate the risk of the spread of Covid-19 and to prioritise the health and safety of the US travelling party and those they would otherwise come into contact with, the secretary would be returning to Washington, DC out of an abundance of caution.
“The secretary extended an invitation for the foreign minister to visit Washington, DC at the earliest opportunity and noted that he looked forward to travelling to Thailand as soon as possible. They affirmed that they would use the upcoming engagements to further deepen the US-Thai alliance,” the announcement said.
Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that Blinken had cut short his trip to Southeast Asia due to a Covid-19 case among his party. The positive case was confirmed on Wednesday while Blinken was in Malaysia. He was in Indonesia the previous two days.