Thailand announces compulsory quarantine for arrivals from six places

 

Postal worker disinfects packages arrived from overseas, to contain the spread of coronavirus in Bangkok, Thailand March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The Thai government on Thursday announces new compulsory quarantine measure for arrivals from four countries and two territories in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

 

The move came as the Thai postal service began disinfecting all packages received from overseas, although the World Health Organization has said it is safe to receive post from badly affected countries such as China.

 

The quarantine announcement, published in the official Royal Gazette on Thursday, classified South Korea, China, Macao, Hong Kong, Italy and Iran as "dangerous communicable disease areas".

 

This means that all arrivals from these places, including those that transit through them, will have to provide the authorities with their address and travel plan and be self-quarantined for 14 days.

 

"Thais and foreigners who came from these places will have to go through self-quarantine for 14 days at home or in a hotel room, where they have to report themselves to the authorities every day or officials will come to check on them," health ministry spokesman Rungrueng Kitphati told Reuters.

 

Those that breached the quarantined will face 20,000 baht ($630) fine, Rungrueng said.

 

Arrivals who display coronavirus symptoms will be send directly to government hospitals.

 

The order will be effective from Friday.

 

Thailand has also prepared facilities for the 14-day quarantine of thousands of Thai workers gradually returning from the South Korean province of Gyeongsang and the city of Daegu, currently epicenters of the virus outbreak, the government said.

 

The country has recorded a total of 47 coronavirus cases since January, with one fatality. Thirty-one of the coronavirus patients have recovered and returned home, while 15 are still being treated in hospitals.

 

Among the other latest measures taken by the Thai authorities to halt the spread of the flu-like disease is the plan to disinfect packages from overseas, though there have been no reports of the virus being contracted from the mail.

"Thailand's post offices will disinfect every package arriving from overseas, at headquarters, including at Suvarnabhumi airport, Lak Si post offices, express mail service and delivery trucks," Thailand Post Chief Executive Officer, Korkij Danchaivichit, told reporters.

 

In advice to the public posted on its website, the WHO said: "People receiving packages from China are not at risk of contracting the new coronavirus. From previous analysis, we know coronaviruses do not survive long on objects, such as letters or packages."

 

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um, Panarat Thepgumpanat Jiraporn Kuhakan and Artorn Pookasook; Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Alex Richardson)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-05

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UPDATE - 6 March 2020

 

 

 

 

 

What about all the Chinese and Korean tourists already here, pottering around Bangkok? 
 

The Chinese Government is telling its citizens everything is under control and they believe it’s ok to venture out. 
 

The whole handling of this episode has been a shambles. There should have been an immediate block on any arrivals from risk counties.

What happened to Germany? I guess it’s just one of those things that make you go hmm. 

Most, if not all countries will be impacted for years.

47 since jan with 31 recovered and home...out of how many people?

 

and what about the travel to your home...how does that work?

 

This is a good first step, it should have been done a month ago but we have idiots running the country.

I expect this list to grow.

 

This is in line with Thailands policies on a lot of things they would like to discourage, they don't introduce outright bans, rather they 'obstruct' and make things much more difficult until many people won't bother as it's too much trouble.

 

It will take longer but they get what they want in the end.

 

Not a problem to stay at home for 14 days, but what about the food? Even if we order it online, we need to go meet delivery guy.

Macau only has 10 cases.  Has not had a new one for weeks.

 

Macau and Hong Kong have strict quarantine rules for those coming from China.

 

USA, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and Spain all have more cases than Hong Kong.  If this is necessary why aren't these countries included.

 

https://multimedia.scmp.com/infographics/news/china/article/3047038/wuhan-virus/index.html?src=article-launcher

How about mosquitoes spreading the virus?

The quarantine requirements seem to have already been withdrawn. Usual shambles. 

banning inter province travel is next.

 

14 minutes ago, ThailandGuy said:

How about mosquitoes spreading the virus?

mosquitoes are not a vector.

Quarantined in lady bar soi 6 in pattaya--14 days,,could be longer--just to be safe....cough

1 hour ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The quarantine announcement, published in the official Royal Gazette on Thursday, classified South Korea, China, Macao, Hong Kong, Italy and Iran as "dangerous communicable disease areas".

yeah those guys. not us.

10 minutes ago, TeaMonkey said:

The quarantine requirements seem to have already been withdrawn. Usual shambles. 

Indeed. The idiots supposedly running the show should enter the Olympic gymnastic events, as the back-flips they can pull make the average world class gymnast look ordinary. It's the Thai knee jerk thing that they say something seriously stupid, then pull it back as soon as they get criticized. Same reason laws to protect lives on the roads get pulled in hours, if not days, as they are unpopular and a Thai Government can't be unpopular now can it?

South China Morning Post gives a different version

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3065266/coronavirus-thailand-disinfects-mail-received-abroad-cases

 

11 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

banning inter province travel is next.

 

No. You have a link? Or imagine it?

Why? 

Impossible. How people go to work? 

 

Is the line on a map. No effect. 

 

USA 11 dead, only 160 sick. Hmmmm

 

Maybe will ban USA soon? 

18 minutes ago, ChakaKhan said:

Quarantined in lady bar soi 6 in pattaya--14 days,,could be longer--just to be safe....cough

You're going to leave with alot worse than Coronavirus in two weeks haha 

57 minutes ago, ukrules said:

This is a good first step, it should have been done a month ago but we have idiots running the country.

 

*With the apparent caveat that, the quarantines they're talking about here are SELF quarantines. So in the case of foreign tourists who presumably want to visit Thailand for tourism purposes, you kind of wonder if they're really going to spend two weeks sitting in their hotel rooms?

As if tourists will stay 24/7 in hotel rooms and then report to the authorities which means taxis, BTS, busses, to get there.. Yeah right, kind of makes self quarantine useless 

I'm totally confuseed. Reports on Twitter suggest that the Reuters announcement is also premature.

 

Bring back Big Joke. His name would be perfect in a country increasingly obviously run by a bunch of jokers!

UAE has banned its citizens from entering Thailand.

Kuwait wants all its citizens out of Thailand.

Israel will not allow Thai nationals into the country.

MotoGP has cancelled due to coronavirus fear.

1181 Thai "workers" from South Korea have vanished in Thailand while South Korea added 400 new cases just yesterday.

 

Keep repeating that Thailand only has had 47 cases and someone just might BeLIEve it.

 

It is a Great Injustice not only to Thailand's citizens but also to the unsuspecting traveler from a foreign country.

 

No country shall stand, that does not put the welfare of it's peoples and it's foreigners first.

 

When you accept a foreigner into you're country, you have accepted all responsibility for the foreigners well being as one of you're own citizens.

 

There is no separation in the eyes of GOD between a Thai or any other human being on Earth whether they are called an American, Britain or Canadian.

 

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

 

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

 

I don't believe a word of it. I arrived at Don Mueang from Vietnam last night and from what I'd read and heard, all the passengers on my flight would be screened as they entered the airport.  There were about 40 people in front of me as we approached the screening area and they only screened one passenger - a Sikh gentleman.

 

If they can't even carry out basic temperature screening of ALL international travellers, how are they going to police 'self quarantine'?

 

Vietnam may not be on the list but nobody was being questioned as to where else they had been.  Before getting the flight TO Vietnam on Monday, we were asked if we had been to China or Italy and replied that we hadn't.  Our passports were not checked to prove this.

5 minutes ago, madmitch said:

I'm totally confuseed. Reports on Twitter suggest that the Reuters announcement is also premature.

 

Bring back Big Joke. His name would be perfect in a country increasingly obviously run by a bunch of jokers!

 

You missed the beginning !

 

Actually the circus started tuesday

 

-the minister announced such a list and such mandatory quarantine

the list was longer with France and Germany

 

-the medias reported bad (nation talked only about "returnees" (thais tourists) not tourists arriving from those countries)

 

-then the so called minister erased his post on facebook

 

-bloomberg understood that it was BS.... "not decided yet, they are talking about it"

 

-the thai embassy in Singapore reacted in panic mode "no no tourists coming to Thailand from Singapore won't have a quarantine"

 

-than today : "si si we do it, the list is official, but only 6 countries, and quarantine is mandatory EVEN if the tourist has no symptoms"

 

-tonight : "confirmed. sure...."

 

-tonight later : heu.... well... the quarantine perhaps not. Mai ru. Mai ko chai.

 

So see you pruni for the next episode of this amazing show.

????

 

Since the beginning I called BS... Thailand would never have the balls to impose a quarantine... to tourists !

 

And in any case such "mandatory quarantine" would be grotesque (no control whatsover).

 

If you don't want to have Italian coming here with their viruses ... just ban them, stop the flights coming from Italy !

 

But to tell them "OK come, sure, buy your ticket, you're welcome... But when you arrive, you must stay 2 weeks in your hotel room" DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

14 minutes ago, christophe75 said:

 

You missed the beginning !

 

Actually the circus started tuesday

 

-the minister announced such a list and such mandatory quarantine

the list was longer with France and Germany

 

-the medias reported bad (nation talked only about "returnees" (thais tourists) not tourists arriving from those countries)

 

-then the so called minister erased his post on facebook

 

-bloomberg understood that it was BS.... "not decided yet, they are talking about it"

 

-the thai embassy in Singapore reacted in panic mode "no no tourists coming to Thailand from Singapore won't have a quarantine"

 

-than today : "si si we do it, the list is official, but only 6 countries, and quarantine is mandatory EVEN if the tourist has no symptoms"

 

-tonight : "confirmed. sure...."

 

-tonight later : heu.... well... the quarantine perhaps not. Mai ru. Mai ko chai.

 

So see you pruni for the next episode of this amazing show.

????

 

Since the beginning I called BS... Thailand would never have the balls to impose a quarantine... to tourists !

 

And in any case such "mandatory quarantine" would be grotesque (no control whatsover).

 

If you don't want to have Italian coming here with their viruses ... just ban them, stop the flights coming from Italy !

 

But to tell them "OK come, sure, buy your ticket, you're welcome... But when you arrive, you must stay 2 weeks in your hotel room" DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

I haven't missed any of it. The whole thing is ridiculous.

England reports 25 new cases of coronavirus, taking UK total to 115

people reporting on Twitter they just arrived in Thailand from other countries and there was no thermal screening. Just walk in.

1 minute ago, NCC1701A said:

England reports 25 new cases of coronavirus, taking UK total to 115

We know whats next.......!4 days in a hotel room......

1 hour ago, Yinn said:

No. You have a link? Or imagine it?

Why? 

Impossible. How people go to work? 

 

Is the line on a map. No effect. 

 

USA 11 dead, only 160 sick. Hmmmm

 

Maybe will ban USA soon? 

The USA hasn’t been able to test. They will have 1000s soon.