FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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9,000 people in Tak to undergo testing for Covid-19

9,000 people in Tak to undergo testing for Covid-19

The Public Health Ministry will next week undertake aggressive testing of 9,000 people in Tak province for Covid-19 after a Myanmar married couple who reside in Mae Sot district tested positive last week.

The district shares a border with Myanmar.
“The two patients are being treated at Mae Sot Hospital and have shown no symptoms so far,” Dr Rames Wongwilailuck, Tak’s public health deputy chief, said on Monday.
“Five other family members who carry high risk of infection are also being monitored in quarantine rooms at the hospital.”
Rames further added that since the infection was found in the province, the public health staff have performed aggressive testing on approximately 4,000 people, but there are no positive cases so far.
“Next week we will test over 5,000 people in risky areas, such as shopping malls and crowded communities. After that, we will expand the testing to around 4,000 patrol police officers in four districts that share a border with Myanmar, namely Um Phang, Phob Phra, Mae Ramad and Tha Song Yang.”
Meanwhile, Dr Sarayut Uttamangkhaphong, director of Region 2 Disease Control Office, has said that since October 11 product transport trucks from Myanmar that are allowed to enter Mae Sot must stay in the border checkpoint’s safety zone only. “Each truck can have only one driver and no passenger, and must stay in the safety zone awaiting their Thai partners to come and pick up the goods,” he said. “The loading can take a maximum of seven hours, while the driver must provide sample of saliva for testing.
“However, since October 18 the checkpoint has been closed for seven days for maintenance and will open again on October 26,” added Sarayut.
“During this time, border staff will install additional barricades in the safety zone, recruit additional staff as well as procure sanitary face masks for staff to use while working.
“We expect that when the checkpoint reopens, we will be able to accept product transport trucks at 600-700 vehicles per day,” he added.

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