MRT train station employee diagnosed with Covid-19

Despite strict adherence to Covid-19 safety measures, a staff member of the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority in Bangkok has tested positive for the virus. The MRT made an announcement today about the employee, whose gender was not revealed. They confirmed that the Covid-19 infected staff member worked on the MRT Chalong Ratchadham line – the purple line – at the Sai Ma station, located in the north of the Bangkok Metropolitan Area in Nontha Buri Province.

The MRT, which runs Bangkok’s underground train system while the BTS runs the above-ground sky trains across the city, saw ridership of about 470,000 people per day before Covid-19 in 2019, the last dates with data available. The Purple MRT line had an average of 70,000 riders per day.

The third wave of Covid-19 has been running rampant throughout Thailand with daily infection rates skyrocketing and many outbreaks linked to Bangkok’s entertainment venues. Restrictions and safety precautions have been tightening, with threats of a looming lockdown, so essential workers and systems like public transit are on high safety alert. With so many people passing through the system each day, the company has been very careful to follow all safety guidelines outlined by the Disease Control Department to keep the staff, stations, and trains safe and sterile during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite these measures, the MRT staffer, who wore a facemask at all times while at work, came down with a fever and went to a hospital on April 25 to get a Covid-19 test. The results came back yesterday as positive and the staff member was admitted to the hospital for further treatment. No word on their condition currently.

Any other MRT staff member that came into close contact with the employee who was infected have already been tested for Covid-19 and are quarantined for a 14-day isolated observation.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post