SAMUT PRAKAN — A viral photo that shows a Chinese man collapsing on the floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport is unrelated to the coronavirus outbreak as alleged by social media, an airport official said.

The photo was first posted by Facebook user Wa Saranpat, who captured the moment when a Chinese man is being attended by medical staff after he passed out in front of a bank inside Bangkok’s main international airport.

“A Chinese person just suddenly collapsed on the third floor of the airport right now,” the caption reads. “Sure the government can handle it. Very scary and they also asked me not to take a photo.”

Netizens soon shared the photo and linked it with the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, in which Thailand already saw 14 confirmed cases as of Tuesday.

But it turned out that the man was drunk, airports general manager Suthirawat Suwanawat said Wednesday.

“The incident happened on Monday night. Airport officials found that the Chinese passenger was intoxicated, fell asleep, and fell from the chair,” Suthirawat said.

He said the man was sent to a hospital, where he was confirmed to be clear of the virus. Suthirawat said the airport is also considering legal action against those who mislead the public with the photo.

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