Thailand to continue mandatory quarantine for foreign visitors
The decision to continue the suspension of the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme means the visitors will have to undergo hotel quarantine
File photo: A view of the empty departure hall of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on March 11, 2020 AFP
The Bangkok Post
Publish : 04 Jan 2022, 08:59 PMUpdate : 04 Jan 2022, 09:00 PM
Thailand continues its mandatory quarantine for foreign visitors due to a sudden rise in Covid-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant.
The decision to continue the suspension of the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme for travellers from abroad, means the visitors will have to undergo hotel quarantine, which ranges between 7 to 10 days.
Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said the country will not reimpose the quarantine-free programme due to the spread of Omicron.
"Under the current circumstances, there's no plan to bring back Test & Go," Dr Opas told a media briefing on Tuesday.
He did not elaborate on how long the scheme will remain suspended.
On Monday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he would ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to keep the programme on hold until the end of this month.
Neither Dr Opas nor Mr Anutin mentioned the CCSA meeting, and it was unclear whether the meeting took place.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Tuesday air travellers who had successfully applied for Test & Go can enter the country by next Monday.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was also concerned about the potential spike in Omicron cases, after many people returned from the long holidays, the spokesman added.
The Phuket Sandbox is the only sandbox scheme in effect. Other similar schemes have been temporarily shelved since Dec 22. Another entry into Thailand is through the quarantine programme.
The so-called "sandbox" program requires visitors to remain in a specific location but allows them free movement outside of their accommodation.
Thailand temporarily suspended the scheme from December 22 to at least January 4 (Tuesday), according to an announcement in the Royal Gazette published on December 22.
The highly contagious Omicron variant has spread fast in the country from only 205 accumulated cases reported on December 24 to 2,062 as of Monday, according to official data.
The variant fanned from 33 provinces reported on December 29 to 54 provinces on Monday, according to the Public Health Ministry.
Thailand to continue mandatory quarantine for foreign visitors
Thailand continues its mandatory quarantine for foreign visitors due to a sudden rise in Covid-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant.
The decision to continue the suspension of the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme for travellers from abroad, means the visitors will have to undergo hotel quarantine, which ranges between 7 to 10 days.
Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said the country will not reimpose the quarantine-free programme due to the spread of Omicron.
"Under the current circumstances, there's no plan to bring back Test & Go," Dr Opas told a media briefing on Tuesday.
He did not elaborate on how long the scheme will remain suspended.
On Monday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he would ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to keep the programme on hold until the end of this month.
Neither Dr Opas nor Mr Anutin mentioned the CCSA meeting, and it was unclear whether the meeting took place.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Tuesday air travellers who had successfully applied for Test & Go can enter the country by next Monday.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was also concerned about the potential spike in Omicron cases, after many people returned from the long holidays, the spokesman added.
The Phuket Sandbox is the only sandbox scheme in effect. Other similar schemes have been temporarily shelved since Dec 22. Another entry into Thailand is through the quarantine programme.
The so-called "sandbox" program requires visitors to remain in a specific location but allows them free movement outside of their accommodation.
Thailand temporarily suspended the scheme from December 22 to at least January 4 (Tuesday), according to an announcement in the Royal Gazette published on December 22.
The highly contagious Omicron variant has spread fast in the country from only 205 accumulated cases reported on December 24 to 2,062 as of Monday, according to official data.
The variant fanned from 33 provinces reported on December 29 to 54 provinces on Monday, according to the Public Health Ministry.
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