Hailed as a prominent trading hub and refugee shelter in western Thailand, Mae Sot, is under the strict vigilance of forces to restrain the illegal entry of migrants from Myawaddy border township. The checkpoint’s temporary reopening has paved the way for the admission of many Thai workers employed in a casino in the Myawaddy border. The workers have fled down to Mae Sot to safeguard themselves from the growing coronavirus threat in Myanmar currently.
According to the statement given by the Director-General of the Disease Control Department, Opas Kankawinpong, hundreds of local Thai workers employed in the Myawaddy casino will return via the Tak district route following the border reopening. The officer conveyed a lack of clarity on the number of infected and non-infected workers in the lot.
The temporary reopening of the border will help the authorities control illegal trespassing by the workers, allowing the officials to take necessary steps for COVID-19 control. With regulated admission, the health officers will be able to segregate between the infected and non-infected people. The authorities are confident that these crucial steps will eliminate the risks of contagion in the country.
The report affirmed that the latest returnees’ group constituted of nearly 40 workers who landed on Thursday and were in no time screened for COVI19 virus infection. During the testing, seventeen workers were declared positive and were admitted to the Mae Sot Hospital. The security team predicted that a combined force of 300 Thai people worked in the Myawaddy casinos. However, the recent batch of returnees was employed at the Sky Complex casino located across the Moei River dividing Mae Sot and Myawaddy towns.
The health department of Mae Sot will be using field hospitals along with the main district hospital to deal with the new cases. The District Public Health Office of Mae Sot revealed that nearly 60 COVID-19 positive cases have been recorded since Monday, including 17 new cases recorded on Sunday by the teams.
There has been constant campaigning for the locals to be alert and supportive of the authorities’ measures in combating the deadly global disease. The National Police Chief, Suwat Jangyodsuk, stated that additional officers shall be deployed in the border area to implement of the efforts successfully.
