The news came at the meeting of the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee chaired by Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana yesterday.
Dr Thanit Sermkaew, Chief of the Phuket Public Health Office (PHHO), said of yesterday’s report of zero confirmed new cases (see here), “That is welcome news, but we cannot let our guard down.”
The previous “proactive” campaign, checking house to house for any persons who may have a fever, yielded good results, he said.
From Apr 2-13, the campaign had checked 3,991 people and identified 38 people infected with the virus, Dr Thanit noted.
Any people in Bang Tao deemed to be suspected of being infected with COVID-19 will be placed under observation at either the Surin Beach Resort or one of The Kris venues (which one not specified) in Bang Tao, he added.
The campaign will involve six measures, Dr Thanit explained.
- The setting up of a disease control centre, which began on Apr 15. No additional cases have been found in Bang Tao
- Five teams of 20 officials each will start checking door to door. Checks will start from in front of the Bang Tao Mosque and cover the Moo 2 and Moo 5 areas, which are home to an estimated 9,000 people.
- Extra prevention measures in the inner area of Bang Tao to be implemented where needed.
- Quarantine separation measures for all at-risk people.
- Community strength measures so people follow health instructions inside their homes. Always wash your hands and wear a mask. If someone is sick, they must notify health officials.
- Proactive measures “for citizens in every dimension”, by using a flying drone to discover where any groups have gathered together, and using sound trucks to make announcements, “as is in line with the way of life of Bang Tao community”.
Governor Phakaphong welcomed the move to launch the intensive campaign in Bang Tao, and thanked the efforts of all people who have cooperated with the orders and instructions to help prevent the spread of the disease.
“Thank you to all the sectors that jointly followed the recommendations so there will be more people infected in Phuket,” he said.
"In the past, Phuket Province [“provincial authorities”] needed to be vigilant with groups entering from abroad. We must suppress [the spread of the disease] and close risky places,” he said.