BOTH Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit and Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul were found infected with Covid-19 after returning from trips to Europe, INN News and Sanook.com said today (June 28).
Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said Jurin tested positive for coronavirus after returning from a trip to the UK with a doctor advising him to take care of himself according to the ministry’s guidelines and watch the symptoms until recovery.
It was revealed this morning that Anutin too tested positive for this infection after returning from meetings in France and Switzerland,
Sathit said while the daily Covid tallies had edged up recently this was not due to easing of the face mask mandate with the totals already rising before the rule was eased. This was mainly due to increased local and foreign tourism and extending the opening hours of entertainment venues till 2 a.m.
The ministry announced this morning that there are 1,761 Covid cases and 13 deaths over the past 24 hours taking the cumulative confirmed total since Jan. 1 to 2,294,216 and since the start of the pandemic 4,517,651.
Today’s 13 fatalities raised the death toll to 30,620.
Another 2,185 were cured taking total recoveries since Jan. 1 to 2,296,079 with 22,458 patients still undergoing treatment.
Sathit urged people not to get worried but maintain social distance and wear face masks in crowded places and continue being careful.
Regarding two new Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, Satit said even though they have started spreading in Thailand the ministry had been monitoring the symptoms for some time with no clear research showing that they were severe.
Today’s cabinet meeting was thinly attended with six ministers absent as aside from Jurin and Anutin being sick, one other minister was also sick but not with Covid while three others are travelling overseas and they are as follows:
–Â Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa is attending the UN Oceans Conference in Portugal during June 27-July 1, 2022;
– Minister of Social Development and Human Security Juti Krairiksh is participating in the 11th World Urban Forum in Poland;
– Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Anek Laothamatas is in the UK for some work;
– Minister of Education Trinuch Thienthong is on sick leave but tested negative for Covid via ATK.
CAPTION:
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, left, Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, centre, and Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, right. Photo: MNG Online
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