2 Phuket expats infected after returning from Krabi and Bangkok
2 expats in Phuket are infected with Covid-19 after returning from travelling off the island. They tested positive at the Tha Chatchai checkpoint at the north end of the island. One is an Italian man who returned from Krabi, and the other is a Belgian who returned after a visit to the Belgian embassy in Bangkok.
The 2 men were tested for Covid as part of a new regulation requiring all people returning to the island to be tested, if they can’t prove they are fully vaccinated or present negative Covid test results within 72 hours of arriving.
According to a timeline, the 36 year old Italian man, tested positive at the Tha Chatchai checkpoint on April 22. He then took another test the next day to confirm the previous test’s results, receiving another positive diagnosis. He was taken to receive treatment at Thalang Hospital.
The 32 year old Belgian also tested positive at the same checkpoint after returning from Bangkok by bus to renew his passport at the Belgian embassy. He was taken to receive treatment at Patong Hospital. The Phuket Provincial Health Office issued a warning yesterday for those passengers travelling on the same bus with the Belgium man to contact officials, as they are now being considered “high-risk.”
Meanwhile, Phuket government officials have threatened to strictly enforce the 20,000 baht face mask fine and contact consular officials for foreigners that refuse to mask up. The vice governor of Phuket has issued a stern warning that all people are required to wear face masks in public at all times.
The PPHO reported that Phuket recorded 13 new infections yesterday, bringing the total amount of infections to 348 in Phuket since April 3. Of those infections, 255 are still receiving medical treatment, while 92 have been discharged. In Thailand today, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is reporting 2,179 new infections over the past 24 hours, with 15 deaths; the highest amount of daily deaths since the pandemic started. The recent wave of infections over the past month makes up more than half of Thailand’s total count with 30,824 people infected with Covid-19 since April 1. This month, 69 Covid patients have died.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
