US soldiers, concertgoers all test negative for Covid-19

All 110 US soldiers visiting Bangkok for upcoming joint military exercises have tested negative for Covid-19. Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says all are staying at alternative state quarantine locations and are strictly prohibited from leaving their rooms or interacting with the general public.

The soldiers’ arrival caused concern and discussion on social media, after an Egyptian airman broke quarantine last month and went shopping in Rayong province while positive for Covid-19, sparking a panic. Taweesin and other officials, however, insist the circumstances are very different and every precaution is being taken. He has stated several times the soldiers are not a threat to those in Bangkok or the Rayong area where they arrived.

In a related story, tests were conducted on 2,582 people from a Thai country music concert in the southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province, according to the Department of Disease Control.

The department’s director-general revealed the results from Nakhon Si Thammarat, where photos of the packed-out venue with few people wearing masks had sparked uproar on social media. The tests conducted on August 5 on 2,583 suspects (including 1,930 concertgoers) all came back negative. About 12% of those tested had Covid-like symptoms but none was infected. As a result Nakhon Si Thammarat is still officially listed as free of the coronavirus.

SOURCES: The Pattaya News | Nation Thailand