Authorities in Banteay Meanchey province have stepped up checks at the Poipet border with Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo following reports that a Chinese tourist to Thailand had been confirmed to be infected with a new pneumonia-like disease.
Banteay Meanchey governor Oum Reatrey on Tuesday that thermal scanners to detect fever had already been installed and were operational at the border checkpoint.
“We have already installed the scanners to screen travellers for the new form of virus but until now there have been no cases detected at the Poipet border,” the Khmer Times on Wednesday quoted him as saying.
The Bangkok Post reported on Monday a Chinese tourist was found infected with the new strain of coronavirus when she arrived in Thailand.
Coronaviruses are not necessarily life-threatening but have been the underlying cause of public health crises, including severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed hundreds of people after an outbreak in southern China in 2002 and 2003.
The Wuhan viral outbreak seems to be less virulent and less transmittable, according to the World Health Organisation.
Cambodian Ministry of Health spokesmen Or Vandine and Ly Sovann could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.