No COVID Cases After International Badminton Competition in Thailand

International badminton competition in Thailand

The past two months have been marked with the resurgence of Covid-19, news about Covid-19 and government regulations to prevent the spread of Covid-19. It’s definitely been a little bleak for Thais, considering the country returned to a “new normal” for months before the start of 2021.

However, the Kingdom hosted the Badminton World Federation (BWF)’s official international competition from 4th to 31st January 2021, where there were zero transmissions of Covid-19 throughout the event, giving citizens a glimmer of hope.

‘Bubble’ and ‘Seal’ methods implemented

A total of 832 athletes from 23 countries participated in the international badminton competition in Thailand. Over the duration of the month-long sporting event, a total of 10 Covid-19 cases were found – 4 of the infected persons were taken out of the competition while the other 6 could continue due to the fact that they were “old infections”, according to PR Thai Government.

International badminton competition in Thailand
Image credit: PR Thai Government

The Thai Government attributes the success of the event to the “Organisational Quarantine Method”, which consists of the “Bubble” and “Seal” procedures. These systems were first used in factories across the country – the “seal” method for production plants with living accommodations for employees and the “bubble” approach for those without.

International badminton competition in Thailand

Image credit: PR Thai Government

The “Bubble” method grouped athletes into batches, where they would only interact with each other. The “Seal” approach ensured that the participants did not come in contact with the public, in order to minimise risk of spreading coronavirus.

Thailand fights back

With the reduced number of locally transmitted coronavirus cases, the Kingdom is slowly easing restrictions. Domestic travel is allowed in most tourist hotspots, restaurants are allowed to offer dine-in services longer and establishments are steadily resuming operations. It seems like the nation is slowly heading towards another “new normal”.