Oman health: Thai Airways takes steps to combat MERS

Muscat: Preventive measures have been adopted by Thai Airways to prevent the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on flights.
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) announced that it has implemented a series of actions to boost customer confidence.
“We have started monitoring the passengers and ground customer services at airports,” confirmed a senior official attached with Thai Airways.
Thai Airways flies to Thailand from Muscat International Airport via Pakistan.
Chantouch Srinilta, general manager, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Middle East, Thai Airways, said they are monitoring passengers on the flights.
“Besides that, we are using anti-bacterial solutions inside the aircraft while it is parked at the airport and even disinfecting the 37 touch points in the passenger cabin,” he told the Times of Oman.
This comes after Thailand reported a second MERS case in the country.
In the last week of January, a 71-year-old man from Oman tested positive for MERS in Thailand.
Immediately after, Thai health authorities had placed 40-odd people in quarantine who came in contact with him including passengers of the flight, taxi drivers, hotel and hospital staff and one relative.
“He is doing fine as per the last reports we got from Thailand,” said a senior official of The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
Airline officials are also carrying personal protective equipment on board and are educating staff about preventive healthcare.
“We had implemented these prevention measures ever since the SARS outbreak in 2003, H5N1 in 2014, and Ebola, whereby these measure received recognition by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” said officials.
Senior officials of The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) also said that they have increased screening of passengers at Thailand airports also.
“We are strictly screening the backgrounds of passengers, establish sanitation gel stations across the airport and disseminate information on the symptoms of the virus,” said officials.
Thailand is a major regional tourist hub and many people fly there from Oman to seek medical treatment.
Last year too, an Omani had tested positive for MERS, leading to the quarantine of more than 170 people. He was successfully treated and sent home.