Two immigration officers at Bangkok’s main airport have coronavirus and may have handled the passports of visitors to Thailand, a health official said on Wednesday.

The men, both working at Suvarnabhumi airport, fell ill on March 7 and 8 respectively and potentially came into contact with arriving passengers in the days before their diagnosis.

One of the officers was among a team leading health screenings of Thai returnees from South Korea – which has reported the second most Covid-19 infections in Asia after China.

“They were not working at the same spots,” Sopon Iamsirithaworn of the Disease Control Department said.

“There is a chance they came into contact with foreigners or touched passports,” he added.

Thailand’s Interior Minister said on Wednesday it will suspend visa-free arrivals from South Korea, Hong Kong and Italy, as well as visa-on-arrival from 18 countries including China and India.

All affected visitors must apply for visas at Thai embassies in their own countries and present a medical certificate.

Thailand’s economy is heavily reliant on tourism.

The deadly virus has hammered the sector costing the country billions of dollars, mainly after Chinese tourists were quarantined on the mainland or stayed at home.

Many western visitors have also cancelled holidays or deferred bookings as Thai authorities issue a baffling barrage of advice.

After days drip-feeding conflicting information to holidaymakers, health authorities said on Friday there will be no compulsory quarantine for people from countries hardest hit by the virus.

Thailand has reported 59 cases of the new coronavirus, but there are concerns the low figure may be a reflection of very limited testing programme.

Flag carrier Thai Airways said from Friday it will suspend all flights to Italy, where over 630 people have died with around 10,000 infected so far.

Indonesia on Wednesday also confirmed its first death from the coronavirus – a 53-year-old British woman in Bali with several underlying health conditions including hypertension and diabetes.

The death came in just slightly over a week after the country announced its first positive case, which as of Wednesday morning stands at 34.

The provincial government in Bali, where the deceased patient was treated, said she held UK citizenship.

“[The patient] had underlying conditions of high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism and long years of obstructive lung disease.

“She was 53 and a foreigner. The embassy has been informed,” Mr Achmad Yurianto, a spokesman for the Covid-19 task force, told a press conference.

He declined to disclose the nationality of the woman but said she died at around 2am on Wednesday.

“Coronavirus had reduced her immune system, and in turn worsened her pre-existing medical conditions,” Achmad added.

AFP/THE STRAITS TIMES (SINGAPORE)/ANN