No need to panic over Thailand’s first Omicron case, says PM

The Thai PM has called on the public not to panic over the emergence of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in the kingdom. According to a Thai PBS World report, Prayut Chan-o-cha says everyone should remain on their guard and the unvaccinated should get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says health officials will continue to check for more Omicron cases around the country, but there are no plans at the moment to reintroduce tougher restrictions. According to Thanakorn, the PM feels confident about existing measures and screening processes, adding that the country’s first Omicron infection was detected quickly. The case was reported in an American business traveller who arrived in Thailand from Spain, via Dubai, on November 30. It’s understood the man is in quarantine and is asymptomatic.

In related news, Interior Permanent Secretary Suthipong Chulacharoen has ordered governors in the southern provinces of Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and Satun to step up border checks. The government is anxious to combat the arrival of illegal migrants from neighbouring Malaysia, which has also reported the arrival of the Omicron variant. Officials have also reiterated their intention to crack down on human traffickers and people smuggling gangs who facilitate illegal border crossings.

Provincial governors are also being instructed to increase vaccination campaigns to encourage more members of the public to come forward for inoculation.

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SOURCE: Thai PBS World