The 13 workers tested positive while health workers were tracing 27 high-risk contacts at the camp, located near Patong Municipality, Phuket Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong explained at a special press conference held yesterday evening.
Also present for the press conference were Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Kusak Kukiattikoon and Kathu District Public Health Chief Peerapong Cheeplek.
The camp has 200 workers, Vice Governor Piyapong noted.
“The closure of the camp is under the ‘Bubble and Seal’ method to control any spread of COVID-19 at the camp from 27 July 2021 onwards until one month is complete,” he said.
“Officials from various government offices, including the PPHO, will go in to conduct testing and separate different zones in the camp, such as toilet use and the disposal of garbage and so on,” he added.
Dr Kusak said, “The Bubble and Seal strategy is used where there is high risk of infection. If 10% of the people in a contained area are found to be infected, they will be placed under the Bubble and Seal process.
“In this case, the infections were found by proactive screening. Approximately 40% of those who tested positive were infected with a high-risk strain [of the virus], so we decided to enact the Bubble and Seal process, which is management of the camp using social and public health measures,” he added.
“The COVID-19 management practices applied in the camp along with the Bubble and Seal measures will help to control the infection from spreading to other members of the community,” Dr Kusak said.
“As for those infected, they will be quarantined between 14-28 days for their safety and to recover from COVID-19,” he noted.
Kathu District Public Health Chief Mr Peerapong added that all 13 infected workers at the camp were categorised as “green criteria” patients, meaning they are suffering only light symptoms of infection.
The PPHO daily COVID-19 situation report for yesterday marked 40 new infections, comprising 38 new local infections and two Phuket Sandbox arrivals testing positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of Sandbox arrivals testing positive for COVID-19 since July 1 to 28.
The 38 new local infections brought the total number of people recognised as infected with COVID-19 in Phuket since Apr 3 to 996, not including seven people infected with COVID-19 in other provinces and four returning from other countries and testing positive.
As such, the 38 new cases bring the total number of new local infections on the island in the past seven days to 146, as follows:
- July 21 - 10 new cases
- July 22 - 18 new cases
- July 23 – 18 new cases
- July 24 - 11 new cases
- July 25 - 28 new cases
- July 26 - 23 new cases
- July 27 - 38 new cases
According to the PPHO COVID report for yesterday, 229 people were now under medical care or supervision, with a total of 795 people discharged from medical care for COVID infection since Apr 3.
No new deaths were recorded yesterday, following one death being marked on each of two consecutive days, Sunday and Monday (July 25-26), leaving the total number of people whose deaths are officially recognised as being caused by COVID-19 since Apr 3 at 11.
No details have been provided about the two deaths marked in the daily reports for Sunday and Monday.