Singaporean who owns restaurant in Bangkok diagnosed with Covid-19
A Singaporean restaurant owner in Bangkok has been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus, Thai health officials said yesterday.
The 36-year-old man is one of the six new cases announced in Thailand yesterday, the Bangkok Post reported.
The man tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday and is being treated at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute in Nonthaburi province, outside of Bangkok.
The man, who wanted to be known only as Jay, posted on the Facebook page of his restaurant Ohana Poke in Bangkok, that he wanted to give an "honest and open update" about his situation.
He said he wanted to use the platform to address the concerns of his customers, staff and suppliers and to provide updates on his situation.
In a post yesterday, Mr Jay said he called his manager to close the shop after he tested positive at the Bangkok Christian Hospital.
He said the last time he was in his restaurant was last Friday for two hours, and he did not show any symptoms until Sunday morning, when he had chills and body ache.
He mostly stayed in on Sunday, leaving home only to buy food and visit a pharmacy.
He went to the hospital on Monday and developed a fever that night.
He said it had been an "extremely long day of uncertainty" as he was moved around and questioned.
He had been suffering from lack of sleep and was "feeling dazed" from the fever and medication.
Mr Jay also said that all of his staff went to hospital and none of them had any symptoms.
They were sent home for 14 days of self quarantine.
He also posted a picture of his boarding pass along with his passport showing an entry stamp on Feb 2 to debunk speculation about his situation.
He said: "It has been more than one month since I have been back to Bangkok. If 14 days is the maximum incubation period, I most likely caught it locally in Bangkok."
In an updated post, Mr Jay pleaded with people to stop spreading rumours about him, for instance that he had imported the virus from Singapore.
"I believe nobody in the world knows if this is possible at the moment," he said.
Others speculated that he caught the infection from his wife who had been to Italy, but Mr Jay said he is not married, and did not know anyone who had been to Italy.
He has also spoken with Thai officials for contact tracing.
The New Paper understands the Singapore embassy in Bangkok is in contact with Mr Jay and his next-of-kin, and the embassy will continue to render consular assistance to him.
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