251 Thais return from London and 20 are rushed to hospital with suspected coronavirus

251 Thais return from London and 20 are rushed to hospital with suspected coronavirus

Footage shows 251 Thai nationals arriving in their homeland yesterday (June 1) after leaving the UK on a repatriation flight.

Officials said that 20 of the group had high fevers and were rushed to hospital amid fears they had brought the coronavirus back with them from London.

The rest were held in mandatory state-enforced military quarantine to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, compulsory requirement for any repatriated nationals.

Suvarnabhumi Airport deputy director Kittipong Kittikachorn said the Thai Airways International flight TG917 left London Heathrow on May 31 and arrived in Bangkok at 2:20pm local time (BST+6).

The airport chief added: ''Preliminary screening found that 20 passengers had high fever and they were rushed to hospital.

''There are 16 passengers who expressed an interest in entering alternative state quarantine facilities, while the rest were transported to the government’s specified facilities in Bangkok and Samut Prakarn.'' Thailand has been slowly easing lockdown restrictions after coronavirus cases fell to single figures, or zero, for most of May and many of those were from repatriated nationals.

The country's famous Thai massage parlours have been allowed to reopen this month having been banned since March 18.

However, bars remained shuttered and tourists are banned from entering the country.