Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin reported that the Social Security Office’s Medical Board had approved the proactive approach to Covid-19 screening among workplace employees to receive medical services and screen insured persons at risk in the workplace.
On January 8, 2021, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin reported the new wave of Covid-19 outbreaks. The government, under the leadership of Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha and the Ministry of Labour, under the supervision of Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, cares about the workforce and all groups of people and have continuously ordered and implemented measures. Therefore, the Labour Minister was assigned to proactively work with relevant sectors in the area, prevent and control the spread of the disease to be limited in areas, to avoid widespread infections, which will affect the national economy both directly and indirectly, including the well-being of the people nationwide. Following the Social Security Act, the Medical Board has announced the regulations and medical service rates in case of Covid-19 infection screening to provide insured persons with proactive medical services. The measures will allow screening of insured persons at risk in the workplace, in the provinces that are the most controlled areas according to the severity levels ordered by the Center for the Covid-19 Situation Administration.
Mr. Suchart further said that the measures are at the discretion of the Communicable Disease Committee in each province, the highest control areas, and the Bangkok Communicable Disease Committee. This is a proactive measure, working together to enter workplaces to screen for employees who are vulnerable to exposure to be tested for Covid-19. Results are provided within 3-4 hours. If the infection is detected, the worker will go through the quarantine process determined by the Ministry of Public Health. The measures will launch for operation in the highest control areas on January 9 onwards.
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Division of Public Relations
8 January 2021
