A group of 83 Thai students, part of the American Field Service (AFS) program, were taken from U-Tapao international to Sattahip naval base this morning (Sunday) for COVID-19 screening, after their arrival on a special Thai Airways International flight from Italy.

Six students with fevers were separated and taken to Ban Chang, Rayong and Mab Ta Pud hospitals for tests and a 14-day mandatory quarantine.

The remaining 77 were taken to guest houses in the naval base, also for a 14-day quarantine and to monitor their health.

The special THAI flight is the last on the Bangkok-Italy-Bangkok route, after the national flag carrier suspended the service indefinitely due to concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy, which has been designated as a Dangerous Infectious Disease zone by the Thai Ministry of Public Health.

Meanwhile, Sripatum University in the Bang Khen district of Bangkok today announced the immediate suspension of classes, for six days, after one student is thought to be infected with coronavirus. The student has been quarantined and the results of tests are yet to be announced.

The university’s administrators have been contacting other students, who had been in close contact with the suspected case, to advise them of the need for self-quarantine for 14 days.