Sattahip naval base in Chon Buri province has received 186 Thai returnees from South Korea for observation, but the number of local cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infection unchanged on Monday.
Dr Tanarak Plipat, deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department, said the 186 people comprised 88 men and 98 women.
He said 18 were placed under special care - pregnant women, young children and people with chronic illnesses. Another eight of them were deemed at high risk of Covid-19 infection because they arrived from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province - at the centre of the disease outbreak in South Korea.
"All were examined. They are normal and have no fever. The Public Health Ministry and the navy set up a health centre. They will be checked and their temperatures will be measured daily... Officials are taking care of them around the clock," Dr Tanarak said.
All the returnees landed at Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan province. Forty-four people reached the naval base at 1.15am on Monday.
According to Dr Tanarak, people arriving from South Korea were being divided into three groups - foreigners, returning Thai workers, and other Thais. Their planes were being parked separately.
Those with a fever would be sent to hospitals. Those who overstayed their visas would be sent to a specific quarantine facility. Other arrivals would be sent to local quarantine facilities supervised by provincial authorities. The quarantine period was set at 14 days.
As of Monday, Thai officials had confirmed 50 local cases of Covid-19 - 33 recovered cases, 16 patients still in hospitals and one death.
One infected patient is a Thai student who returned from Iran.
Officials identified 157 people at risk of Covid-19 infection because they were in close contact with the infected student. Their samples were tested and some of them had left Thailand. Those who were in the country were being monitored, Dr Tanarak said.
Another patient had tuberculosis and remained critically ill, but had already recovered from and now tested negative for Covid-19.
Another 4,306 patients had been placed under observation, of whom 60% had suffered seasonal influenza and recovered.
