BANGKOK, Dec 1 (TNA) – The cabinet dismissed the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration’s plan to apply antigen tests on visitors and ordered the continuous use of the RT-PCR technique to find COVID-19 infection.
Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said after the cabinet’s meeting on Tuesday that the cabinet turned down the resolution of the CCSA to use only antigen tests on visitors instead of the RT-PCR technique from Dec 16 onwards because of concerns about the newly discovered Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Asked if the Omicron variant issue would delay the reopening of entertainment places, Mr. Sathit said that if the new variant was not detected in the country, entertainment venues could reopen as planned with intensified disease control measures.
The government was concerned about the spread of the disease through natural border passages and the prime minister ordered security authorities to seriously block illegal migrants, Mr. Sathit said.
If the new COVID-19 variant was detected in Thailand, officials concerned would have to report it to the prime minister as soon as possible and the government would introduce relevant measures right away, the deputy public health minister said. (TNA)
