Covid spreaders to face legal action

Infected woman took local flight to South

Legal action will be taken against entertainment businesses and people who recklessly spread Covid-19.

Dr Charaspong Sukree, chief of Nakhon Si Thammarat’s public health office, said health officials are liaising with authorities in Bangkok in pressing charges against a Covid-19 patient who boarded a plane after being informed of her positive test result.

He was referring to the province’s 7th case, a 26-year-old woman who took a flight to Nakhon Si Thammarat from Don Mueang airport on April 11 after she was told she was infected.

Dr Charaspong said the patient, who had caused havoc at the airports and anxiety among passengers, would be charged with withholding information.

“Authorities will determine where the offences were committed and the patient will be summonsed to answer charges there,” he said.

He said she did not violate the law in Nakhon Si Thammarat as she informed authorities as soon as she landed. However, a private laboratory would also be held responsible for failing to notify the Department of Communicable Disease Control or the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to initiate the quarantine process.

Based on the patient’s timeline, she took the Covid-19 test at a private clinic on April 9 and was informed of the positive result on April 10. She boarded an evening flight to Nakhon Si Thammarat the following day.

In Phuket, three entertainment venues linked to the spread of the Covid-19 would face legal action, Pol Lt Gen Kittirat Phanphet, chief of the Provincial Police Region 8, said yesterday.

A committee chaired by Phuket deputy police chief, Pol Col Suwat

Kaewphrom, has also been set up to follow up on the legal process and ensure all the parties involved are held to account.

In Chiang Mai, local authorities

yesterday pressed charges against a hotel for allegedly failing to comply with the disease control measures after it failed to collect information from a guest who had travelled from a high-risk

area. The guest checked in at the hotel in San Kamphaeng district on April 11, a day after she took a Covid-19 test at a hospital in Bangkok.

She received the test result, which

was positive, on April 12.

The district’s disease control operation centre found that the hotel had violated the province’s disease control measures.

NUTTHAWAT WICHEANBUT Tests on the go People queue up for Covid-19 tests from royally-donated mobile units at the Urban Institute for Disease Prevention and Control in Bang Khen district yesterday. People can walk in for tests, without having to make appointments.