Thailand’s northeastern province of Buri Ram has taken preventives measure in preparation for the possible arrival of workers from Bangkok and its vicinities, following the closure of construction worker housing there, by mandating that all arrivals will be subject to 14-days of local quarantine.

Provincial and health officials, led by Governor Tatchakorn Hatthathayakul and Dr. Pichet Puedkhunthod, the provincial health chief, held an urgent meeting on Friday to discuss measures to respond to an order by the CCSA to close all construction worker housing facilities in Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani Samut Sakhon and in the four southern provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla.

Dr. Pichet told the media, after the meeting, that several recent COVID-19 infections had been traced to arrivals from theseareas, who didn’t know that they were already infected or who did not follow health safety measures and had engaged in social activities.

The 14-day local quarantine applies to people arriving in BuriRam from Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Bangkok, Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Trat, Nakhon Pathom, Pattani, Phetchaburi, Songkhla, Samut Sakhon, Saraburi, Yala and Narathiwat, said Dr. Pichet.

Arrivals from “Orange” zones will be required to report to local disease control officials for health assessments. A rapid test will be conducted on suspicious cases and, if they are cleared of infection, they will still be required to isolate at home for 14 days.

Governor Tatchakorn said he has instructed district officials and village heads to watch out for arrivals from the specified areasand to take them for screening and local quarantine.

There are still 43 COVID-19 cases under treatment in hospitals in Buri Ram province.

Meanwhile, Associate Professor Dr. Chatchai Mingmalairak, director of Thammasat University’s field hospital in Pathum Thani, said today that the management of the university hasdecided to keep the facility open, to cope with the surge of new infections in and around Bangkok.

He said, in his Facebook post today (Saturday), that the field hospital had been due to close at the end of this month but, “today, we have received requests from our friends and medical colleges in Bangkok to help accommodate their patients, due to the critical shortage (of hospital beds).”

The Thammasat field hospital has the capacity to accommodate 470 in patients.