BANGKOK, Feb
13 (TNA) – Thai Public Health Ministry plans to step up screening measures
against novel coronavirus or Covid-19 at airports for passengers from Hong Kong
and Singapore.
Thanarak
Plipat, deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department said the global
outbreak situation showed increasing numbers of coronavirus cases in China, Hong
Kong and Singapore and the outbreak situations in many countries entered Phase
2.
Thailand has
planned to raise the screening level for air passengers from these countries as
well as for outbound passengers from Thailand, he said.
Director-General
of the Disease Control Department, Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said
the number of coronavirus patients in Thailand remains at 33. Out of this
number, 21 patients remain in hospital and the remaining 12 people were fully
recovered and returned home.
Regarding
the Westerdam cruise ship, allowed to dock at Sihanoukville in Cambodia, he
said Thailand is working with Cambodia to share information on virus screening
as the passengers will travel home via Thai airport.
Four
governments including Thailand earlier denied entry to the luxury liner amid
coronavirus fears.
In the
meantime, an online self-screening test for novel coronavirus is available in
Thai, Chinese and English on http://sescimande.net/Self-Screening
under cooperation of the public health ministry, Chiang Mai University and the
National Research Council of Thailand. (TNA)