Schools shut over virus fears

A classroom is sprayed with disinfectant at Samsenwittayalai School in Bangkok. Photo by Chanat Katanyu
A classroom is sprayed with disinfectant at Samsenwittayalai School in Bangkok. Photo by Chanat Katanyu

Many schools around the country will be closed as a precaution after two people in separate groups arrived in Thailand and were later found to be infected with Covid-19.

An Egyptian soldier tested positive after he and a military group visited Rayong and the daughter of a Sudanese diplomat fell sick with the virus while her family was in a Bangkok condominium.

Schools in many provinces will shut their doors to test pupils and clean their premises.

Sai Namthip School in Sukhumvit Soi 22, Bangkok on Wednesday confirmed it would hold only online classes from tomorrow after it was revealed the Sudanese girl's family had stayed in a condominium nearby. Wachirathamsatit School, in Sukhumvit Soi 101 said it would also close from tomorrow, for similar reasons.

Rajinibon School in Samsen Road, Dusit district said it would shut today and tomorrow.

In the South, Trat Trakankhun School said one boy had been asked to quarantine after revealing he had gone to Rayong about the same time as the infected Egyptian soldier.

Wisutthikasattree School in Samut Prakan shut on Wednesday and today after learning that two of its students had been in the Rayong shopping mall on the same day as the Egyptian group.

Sawang Boriboon Wittaya School in Chon Buri will close for five days to sanitise its premises because the parents of some students have also visited Rayong in recent days.

Uthai Wittayakhom School in Uthai Thani cancelled classes for three days on Wednesday after finding the sibling of one student had stayed in the same hotel as the Egyptians.

In Buri Ram, Kanlayaprasit School has also closed for seven days after a parent who previously taught in Rayong recently visited her alumni working at the hotel where the Egyptians stayed.

Earlier, the Rayong governor had ordered 127 schools in the province to be closed as a precaution.

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Vocabulary

  • alumni: the former male and female students of a school, college or university - ศิษย์เก่า
  • diplomat: an official whose job is to represent their government in a foreign country - นักการทูต
  • precaution: an action taken to protect people or things against possible harm or trouble - การป้องกันไว้ก่อน
  • premises: the buildings and land that a business or organisation uses - ที่ดินและสิ่งปลูกสร้าง
  • quarantine (verb): to keep a person or animal that might have a disease separate from other people or animals so that they do not catch the disease - กักบริเวณ จำกัดบริเวณ
  • quarantine (noun): a situation in which a person or animal that might have a disease is kept separate from other people or animals so that they do not catch the disease - การกักบริเวณ, การจำกัดบริเวณ
  • reveal: to let something become known - เปิดเผย
  • sanitise (verb): to clean something thoroughly using chemicals to remove bacteria - ทำให้ปราศจากเชื้อโรค
  • test positive: to show in a medical test that a particular virus, bacteria, disease or drug is present in the body - ตรวจพบว่าติดเชื้อ

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