All arriving passengers now required to provide additional contact info
The Department of Disease Control plans to impose compulsory measures for all inbound arrivals, including notifying personal information and contact information such as mobile phone numbers and email addresses as part of steps to control the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.
The additional arrival formalities will start tomorrow and officials say the new personal information provided by inbound passengers will stay in the system for 14 days after their arrival at a Thai international airport.
TheNational Science and Technology Development Agency say that a new App will be able to be downloaded from tomorrow where passengers will be able to provide the additional information OR on the current TM8 form.
Officials are also urging inbound passengers to make sure they remain contactable for at least two weeks after the arrive in Thailand, wither through roaming with the international phone number or buying a Thai sim card when they arrive for 49 baht (other packages are available.
Yesterday Thai Airways announced additional measures for passengers flying to Thailand from South Korea, Italy and China, saying they now had to provide a valid health certificate, confirming they don’t have the Covid-19 virus, before they can get a boarding pass. Read more about that HERE.
A meeting was held yesterday between the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, the digital economy and society minister and representatives from the Immigration Police and the Department of Disease Control.
The new arrival procedures will likely add time to the usual immigration formalities although current arrival numbers at all airports have slumped to a fraction of the arrivals two months ago. The ministers collectively urged passengers to assist the Thai government ensure that they can keep track of tourist and visitors during their stay as additional precautions against the spread of the virus.
Buddhipongse Punnakanta, from the DES, says the government will ask for cooperation from all inbound tourists to provide personal data and contact details on immigration forms or via the downloaded application.
“Please do not call this a tracking system because the state will track them only when critical situations arise, when they need to be monitored to handle the outbreak.”
“Immigration officers will check the completeness of the personal data provided on the forms or the app before allowing travellers to pass the immigration counter.”
Currently inbound arrivals are averaging around 70,000 – 20,000 Thais and around 50,000 foreigners.
Paiboon Amonpinyokeat, a cyber legal expert, speaking to Bangkok Post, says the new measure does not violate privacy as it is in line with public health law because this is a serious epidemic and concerns public safety.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
