Health minister pushes to press charges on Covid-19 infected women who dodged quarantine
The 3 Thai women who tested positive for Covid-19 after crossing the Thai-Myanmar border without being screened or undergoing the mandatory 14 day quarantine might face charges. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says he has asked authorities to prosecute “to the fullest extent of the law.”
Not only could the women face charges for illegal entry, they could also be charged for endangering public health as well as breaking the Communicable Disease Control Act and the Emergency Decree, according to Anutin. He says he’s working with the Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai governors to press charges against the women.
The infected women all worked at the same bar in Myanmar. One of them, a 29 year old, entered Thailand last Thursday in a public van, but was somehow able to evade the quarantine process. She then took a bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. She had flu-like symptoms during her travels and checked in to a hospital a few days later where she tested positive.
The other women, ages 23 and 26, illegally crossed the border into Chiang Rai at night. After hearing about her friend’s positive result, the 26 year old went to a local hospital to get tested.
The health minister says Thais are welcome to come home, but they need to go through the official entry process to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Those who enter the country without going through the mandatory quarantine period could face harsh penalties, such as imprisonment, for violating the Emergency Decree.
SOURCE: Pattaya News
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