Seven out of 19 illegal immigrants to Thailand arrested following a tip-off have tested positive for Covid-19, a senior Bangkok administration official said.

At the meeting of Bangkok’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on January 5, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) deputy governor Police Lieutenant-General Sophon Phisutthiwong said that since the second wave of the Covid-19, BMA has urged people in the Thai capital and its peripheries to report to authorities if they have information about illegal migrants in their communities.

“Thanks to the tip-off from people, so far the authorities have arrested 19 illegal migrants and tested them,” he said. “Seven have tested positive for Covid-19, while 12 people remain in quarantine and are closely observed. After the 14-day mandatory period has passed, they will be tested again to confirm the result.”

The meeting on January 5 also urged district officials to inspect restaurants in metropolitan areas and advise dining business owners to comply with BMA rules that allow customers to eat in restaurants only until 9pm.

“Restaurants need to arrange their tables in line with social-distancing practices to prevent the spread of Covid-19,” he said. “Tables must be spaced at a distance of at least 1.5m in case there is no barrier between them, or 1m if they have a barrier.”

THE NATION (THAILAND)/ASIA NEWS NETWORK