THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Thermal scanners being used at Suvarnabhumi, say officials, in reaction to public worries

Thermal scanners being used at Suvarnabhumi, say officials, in reaction to public worries

Authorities have assured concerned netizens that all passengers entering the airport from China have to go through screening gates.

They were reacting to posts by netizens that thermal scanners had not been deployed at the airport.
Dr Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of Department of Disease Control (DDC) and Kittiphong Kittikhajorn, deputy director of operations at Suvarnabhumi Airport, made a joint statement that all inbound passengers must pass through the screening gates equipped with universal thermoscanners.
“The scanners are fitted on the poles near the walkway leading to the gates and some people may not notice them,” added Kittiphong.
He added that the airport and the DDC have established intensive passenger-screening checkpoints in the red zone or airplane bay No 4, which received passengers from Guangzhou and other cities of China.
“The thermal scanners fitted at inbound screening gates will detect if any passenger has body temperature above 38 degrees Celsius,” said Kittiphong. “The screening process comprises two steps: a group scan to find the average body temperature of passengers in a group of 10 from the same aeroplane, followed by an individual scan when passengers walk through the gate. Anyone having fever will trigger the alarm and they will be displayed with a red dot on the monitor.”
Suwanchai added that medical staff will then separate the passenger from the others and bring them to a special quarantine clinic at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, without passing through ordinary immigration process to limit their exposure to other passengers and staff.
“The universal thermoscan infrared camera was fitted at three points of inbound-passenger screening gates at Suvarnabhumi Airport three years ago, immediately after the Ebola outbreak,” said Kittiphong. “The cameras work continuously 24 hours a day and are monitored by the staff of the airport, Immigration Office and the DDC.”

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