‘Symptomatic’ returning troops under observation

Several Thai soldiers who took part in military exercises in Hawaii have been isolated and put under a Covid19 observation programme after they developed suspicious symptoms.

The 11 soldiers, who were in a returning group of 151, are now in Phramongkutklao Hospital, Bangkok, and the other 140 are in a hotel in Pattaya City designated as a state quarantine centre for Covid-19, said Panprapa Yongtrakul, an assistant spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

The soldiers attended a 21-day joint military exercise codenamed Lightning Forge 2020 in Hawaii that ended on Tuesday and arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport the following evening on a chartered flight operated by Thai Airways International.

During a Covid-19 screening carried out at the airport, the 11 soldiers had symptoms including a fever, cough and sore throat, which made them fit the definition of patients under investigation (PUI), said Dr Panprapa.

Results of Covid-19 tests have yet to be revealed, she said.

The other 140 soldiers arrived at the Garden Wing building of the Ambassador City Jomtien about 10pm on Wednesday for a 14-day quarantine programme, said a source.

A medical team from a military hospital in Chon Buri was assigned to supervise the quarantine programme and a number of military officials from the 14th Military Circle and the 21st Infantry Regiment would ensure security, said the source.

Col Chaianan Sanguanpong, director of Nawamintharachini Military Hospital, said each soldier will stay in a separate room and be forbidden from leaving it during the 14-day quarantine.