Thai Taxi Drivers Fight Swine Flu

Thai taxi drivers queue while waiting for passengers at a shopping mall, in Bangkok. (Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images)

Bangkok taxi drivers will be donning face masks to help prevent the spread of the H1N1 pandemic virus and protect passengers, according to The Bangkok Post.

Over 100,000 taxi drivers from 17 taxi cooperatives have volunteered to be a part of the Public Health Ministry’s new initiative, “Thai taxis volunteer to fight 2009 flu,” launched on Aug. 31.

“Taxi drivers who wear face masks have not contracted the flu, but rather have joined in the government's campaign to stop the flu from spreading,” Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparada is quoted as saying.

Part of the protocol for the taxi drivers to follow includes checking their temperature at the beginning of a shift, wearing a face mask while on duty, and rolling the windows down after a passenger exits the vehicle.

Since the new strain of influenza was detected four months ago, the number of confirmed H1N1 infections in Thailand is 14,976 with 119 deaths.