Officials Suspect Health Workers Caught Virus From Quarantine Door Knobs

Health workers talk to a group of returnees from Myanmar who just completed a stay at a state-run quarantine in Chiang Rai province on Dec. 17, 2020.

BANGKOK (Xinhua) — Thailand’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Wednesday health investigators had discovered COVID-19 virus substances on door knobs at an alternative state quarantine (ASQ) facilities which may be the source of the cluster of infections among Thai frontline healthcare workers working there.

The CCSA had already instructed all ASQ facilities to not only clean floors but should also sanitize door knobs, said CCSA spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin.

Six nurses in Bangkok last week tested positive for COVID-19, with health investigators questioning whether these nurses had worn proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gear when interacting with air passenger arrivals undergoing the 14 day quarantine period.

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The CCSA on Wednesday reported 15 new COVID-19 cases among arrivals from abroad in state quarantine.

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Cumulative infections in Thailand, to date, are 4,261, with 3,977 recoveries, and 224 others are still being treated in hospitals.

The death toll remains at 60.