More than 800 Krabi school staff, students go into quarantine

More than 800 Krabi school staff, students go into quarantine

Krabi: Classes at a local high school have been suspended and more than 800 staff and students ordered to quarantine there for 21 days.

Parents were notified of the order after more than 10 students at Ekkaphap Satsanawit, a privately run Islamic school, in Khlong Thom district tested positive for Covid-19.

They were believed to have caught the virus from a classmate.

No parents are allowed to visit their children at the school throughout the 21-day quarantine under an order signed by the provincial communicable disease control office.

The 21-day quarantine period took effect on Saturday.

The school, meanwhile, has been forced to turn classrooms into dormitories, expand the kitchen, and put infected students with mild or no symptoms in a makeshift field hospital within the school premises.

Those with more severe symptoms were taken to a local hospital.

The provincial Covid-19 situation centre reported that 86 students from the school, also known as Ponoh Sai Khao, had contracted the virus.

All students and teaching staff were being swab-tested and the mass testing is expected to end by Friday.

The infected students make up the majority of the infections in Krabi which has reported 90. The other four infections are three in Muang district and one in Koh Lanta district.

The Covid-19 centre said the infected students and staff are being treated by a team of medical workers who will be on hand at the school until they are given the all-clear.

School manager, Kaman Looklem, said the classes were suspended 28 days after the new term began.

He said he was confident infections did not spread from teachers and staff who were instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days before the school reopened. They were also tested for the virus after the term started.

The students too were asked to undergo a test before returning to school on the first day of term. However, not everyone cooperated, he said.

Mr Kaman said the school shutdown came after the number of sick students quickly multiplied.

Somchai Harnpakdipattima, a deputy provincial governor, said meals were being provided from the school's kitchen. Food supplies were being donated by local leaders. Meanwhile, no one leaves or enters the school without permission.

The local authorities said the upsurge in Covid-19 infections has put a strain on public health and medical care capabilities.

Also yesterday, the Lop Buri provincial governor was directing efforts to contain a Covid-19 outbreak at a factory where 200 workers were diagnosed with the virus in Phatthana Nikhom district yesterday.

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