Mobile testing units dispatched to Tak after Burmese drivers test positive

After 3 Burmese lorry drivers tested positive for Covid-19 in the northern province of Tak, officials have sent mobile testing units to the Mae Sot district to test around 4,000 Thais and Burmese in high-risk border areas. Mae Sot mayor, Thoetkiat Shinsoranan, says all residents are being told to stay home as much as possible.

The Bangkok Post reports that 2 drivers from Myanmar tested positive at a border health screening point on Friday, while a third Burmese driver tested positive the following day. All 3 have been sent back to Myanmar. 74 workers at 2 warehouses where the drivers unloaded their deliveries have been tested for the virus.

The governor of Tak province, Phongrat Phiromrat, says all who came in contact with the drivers have tested negative and are being quarantined for 14 days, during which they will undergo additional testing.

The risks are being taken seriously in the area, with 11 schools closed for deep cleaning. There has also been a noticeable drop in shoppers at local markets, where strict health screening is in place and mask-wearing is being enforced. At one market, a poster reminds shoppers that anyone not wearing a face mask may face a fine of up to 2,000 baht. Free masks are being provided for migrants workers without any.

Officials plan to carry out further Covid-19 tests among high-risk populations in the coming days, to reassure the public that their safety is being taken seriously. It’s understood around 1,500 people in the Mae Sot district have been tested so far, with all testing negative.

Provincial officials in Tak are stepping up the tracking and record keeping of vehicles and drivers crossing the border. With the exception of delivery trucks loading and unloading in designated areas of Mae Sot, all vehicles from Myanmar are barred from entering Thailand at the current time.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post