Omani infected with MERS, son quarantined in Thailand

Muscat: A 71-year-old Omani who is infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), his son, hotel staff and passengers on the same plane have been quarantined for two weeks in Thailand, according to news reports.
“The virus was found in a 71-year-old Omani man traveling to Bangkok. So far, 32 people have been quarantined. Another eight have been identified and will also be quarantined,” media reported quoting Amnuay Gajeena, director-general of Thailand's Disease Control Department. "We're still doing an in-depth investigation, so we might be able to bring more people in," Amnuay told Reuters.
According to Amnuay, the Omani man has low fever, cough and quickened breathing.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul has told Reuters that Thailand's tourism industry would not be affected by the latest MERS case "We think we have the situation under control," she said. "We're confident this will not affect tourism in Thailand."
The World Health Organization said in its latest update on January 7 it has been notified of 1,626 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS from 26 countries, and at least 586 related deaths.
MERS is caused by a coronavirus from the same family as the one that triggered China's deadly 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).