3 infected by DJ Matoom ‘super-spreader’ party kept attendance secret
Public anger erupted on Wednesday after it was revealed that three people who caught Covid-19 linked to a celebrity DJ’s birthday party concealed their timelines from authorities. The party held by DJ Matoom (aka Techin Ploypetch) on the January 9 has been dubbed a super-spreader event after it spawned two-dozen infections.
On Wednesday, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) revealed three people – identified as cases 647, 657 and 658 – had failed to divulge information on their timings and locations after news broke of infections at the party, held at Banyan Tree Hotel on Sathorn Road. One of those partygoers was identified as a government official.
Case 647 was identified as a singer and actor, who failed to give information on his movements between January 14 and 20 after attending the January 9 party.
Case 657 was identified as a public relations manager, who failed to give information for January 17-21.
Case 658 was identified as a male government official who neglected to give information for January 10-12 and January 14-21. He is thought to have caught Covid-19 at a January 16 party linked with DJ Matoom's birthday bash. However, he only came forward after he began coughing and took a Covid-19 test.
A fourth new case also concealed information from authorities, said the BMA.
Case 645, a restaurant chef, failed to provide information from January 17-19, but later said he stayed home on those days. His timeline shows he worked at Iconsiam’s CP-Hilai Harbour restaurant on January 5-8 and shopped at Tesco Lotus in the Phasi Charoen area.
Netizens responded to the news with anger on Wednesday, many urging the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to punish people who knowingly conceal their at-risk status.