More than 80 Thais who worked at Myanmar hotel linked to COVID-19 outbreak skipped quarantine - Thai Visa

More than 80 Thais who worked at Myanmar hotel linked to COVID-19 outbreak skipped quarantine

 

Image: Reuters file photo

 

More than 80 Thais who worked at a hotel in Myanmar at the centre of a recent COVID-19 outbreak sneaked back into Thailand illegally and avoided quarantine.

 

The management of the 1G1-7 Hotel, which is located in Tachileik just 1.5 kilometres from the official border checkpoint at Mae Sai, said it employed 180 Thai women.

 

The National News Bureau of Thailand on Friday reported that 84 of the women have returned to Thailand, mostly via illegal natural crossings along the porous border. Many of the women are understood to have skipped the mandatory quarantine procedures for anyone entering Thailand. 

 

Many of the Thai women who worked at 1G1-7 are understood to be sex workers with the hotel frequented by Myanmar VIPs, including top ranking military personnel.

 

At the time of publishing, Thailand has linked at least 14 COVID-19 cases to the hotel, including three cases in Chiang Mai, seven in Chiang Rai and one each in Bangkok, Phayao, Phichit and Ratchaburi.

 

On Friday, Thailand's Disease Control Department confirmed one of the cases was that of a 51-year woman, from Singburi province, who travelled on the same flight as a Thai bar worker, who snuck back to Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai from Tachilek.

The bar worker had taken the same flight to Don Mueang as the woman from Singburi.

 

Also on Friday, health officials in Chiang Mai confirmed that a 32 year old local man who had recently returned to the city after being employed as a DJ at the 1G1-7 Hotel had tested positive for COVID-19. 

 

Earlier this week, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the full force of the law will be used against those who returned to Thailand illegally, evaded quarantine and caused the recent spike in cases in the country.

 

Describing the illegal returnees as "selfish", Mr Anutin said: "That should not have happened. The selfishness of a few people troubles many other Thai people. Although immigration is being restricted, the group of people sneaked through the border at will. They violated laws,

 

"I ordered provincial health officials through disease control committees chaired by provincial governors to file complaints to take all possible legal action against the group of people. We are about to reopen the country but now measures must be reviewed."