Covid-19: Amid confusion, Thai embassy says Singapore travellers to Thailand ‘need not be quarantined if healthy’

SINGAPORE — Singapore travellers arriving in Thailand will not have to quarantine themselves for 14 days if they are healthy, said the Royal Thai Embassy on Wednesday (March 4).

In response to queries from TODAY amid confusion over the quarantine requirements imposed by Thai authorities, the embassy nevertheless added that all arriving passengers will have to comply with health screening procedures.

Those who have a fever with respiratory symptoms will undergo a further medical evaluation and could potentially be placed in a hospital isolation room.

The embassy also advised all visitors to monitor their health as a precautionary measure to prevent the outbreak of Covid-19 and minimise social contact, avoid public transport and maintain good personal hygiene.

Travellers who need to visit crowded places should wear a mask, it added.

Those who develop a fever with respiratory symptoms while in Thailand are advised to seek medical treatment immediately and call 1422.

“Our Thai government welcomes all nationalities of all countries,” the embassy said in its statement.

The confusion over quarantine requirements for Singapore travellers to Thailand arose after a Facebook post by Thailand’s public health minister, Mr Anutin Charnvirakul, on Tuesday afternoon.

The post, which was written in Thai and widely reported on various news sites, said that people travelling from 11 “high-risk” zones are required to self-quarantine for 14 days.

According to CNN, this meant that individuals would not be allowed to leave their premises unless they obtain special permits from the Thai authorities.

The 11 places listed were Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Iran, Italy, France and Germany.

The post has since been deleted and the Facebook account was subsequently closed on Wednesday, although the information from the deleted post remained published on international news sites including CNN.

Local news sites such as Thai Enquirer and Bangkok Post subsequently reported that Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health officials had told reporters that they will be reissuing new guidelines.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg, citing Health Ministry spokesman Taweesilp Witsanuyotin on Wednesday, reported that the idea to impose a mandatory 14-day period of self-quarantine on travellers coming from high-risk countries is not off the table.

It said that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha is discussing this measure with other officials.

A report by The Straits Times citing Thai health officials, however, stated that travellers from the nine high-risk zones are “advised" to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Asked to clarify this report, the Royal Thai Embassy reiterated its earlier statement to TODAY, pointing out that there “will be no quarantine required for all nationalities who wish to enter our kingdom of Thailand”.

Ms Charlene Wong, 34, who is set to fly to Krabi, Thailand on Saturday, was initially planning to postpone her trip after reading that she would be quarantined.

With the clarification, the business owner is inclined to go ahead with her seven-day holiday but she is fearful that the situation might change next week.

“I wonder what happens if they decide to impose (self-quarantine) next week (when we are already in Thailand)… I’ll ask everybody to start praying (that they won’t),” she said.