The initial 84 Southern Thai Hajj piligrams, who'd returned to Thailand on Silk Air flight MI750 from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah this morning, were greeted in Phuket by officials who passed out complementary medical masks and hand gel.
Officials performed medical screening inspections and advised the passengers about the risks and symptoms of the Mers virus, before allowing them to continue on their respective journeys.
Dr Nopadon Paiboonsin, director of the Area 11 Disease Prevention Centre, which is headquartered in Nakhon Si Thammarat, affirmed that none of the passengers had shown any symptoms of Mers.
“We're working closely with local hospitals in case there are any signs of [Mers] sickness. We'll record the addresses of all the pilgrims who return,” he said.
Dr Nopadon noted that officials are expecting to screen a total of 890 Haj pilgrims transiting through Phuket airport through to October 25.
“They're from Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Chumphon, Ranong, Surat Thani, Trang, Pattani, Yala and Narithiwat... I think we will be able to prevent the spread of [Mers] disease this year,” he concluded.