THE Public Health Ministry is holding a press conference at 5 p.m. today (Sept. 11) after a football player of the Thai Premier League was reported to have tested positive for Covid-19 infection, Thai Rath Newspaper reported.
This likely infection was found just as the new football season is to start this weekend, Sept. 12-13.
Addressing the press conference will be Dr. Suwanchai Wattana Yingcharoenchai, head of the Department of Disease Control, Dr. Opaskarn Kawinpong, head of the Department of Medical Sciences and Dr. Sophon Iamsirithaworn, head of Division of General Communicable Diseases.
It was reported that the club had conducted the Covid-19 test of its players itself with this not being done at a place arranged by the Football Association of Thailand.
However the association had ordered all the clubs to test their players for this deadly disease during Sept. 8-9 before the new season kicked off.
Mr. Rawee Pritsanantakul, executive vice president of Thai Premier League Co. Ltd., said they are now waiting for test results from the Department of Medical Sciences.
Should any player be found to be infected he would lose his right to compete in the matches with the club having to retest all its members again for this infection. If the others are not infected the team will not be barred from playing this season because Thai League does not want a gap to develop unnecessarily.
An inmate was found to be infected with coronavirus on Friday Sept. 3 with this being the first locally transmitted case after the country passed a hundred days without any domestic transmission.
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Top: Mr. Rawee talking to the press about a football player likely found infected with coronavirus. Photo: Thai Rath
