Thailand names 5 more ASEAN countries as ‘high risk’, 4 are border nations

A Ministry of Public Health announcement yesterday, signed by Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and published in the Royal Gazette, claims the Covid-19 situation in 5 nearby countries is escalating. Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Myanmar have now been added to the list of countries and territories considered as high risk areas for infection.

On March 6, Thailand had named four countries: China (including Hong Kong and Macau), South Korea, Italy and Iran, as being high risk areas for Covid-19 infection, though Hong Kong and South Korea have contained their outbreaks admirably.

Somehow the recent surge in cases in Singapore, which has doubled its number of active cases in just six days, escaped the Minister’s attention. The island state now has 10,141 cases making it the highest number of cases in South east Asia.

The announcement makes the re-opening of borders with the neighbouring countries for trade and travel unlikely in the short-term. It would also make a resumption of flights to and from these countries unlikely to begin again soon.

Here is the text of a government press release:

“The Ministry of Public Health has issued a new announcement, defining five more countries as dangerous communicable disease areas for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The “Announcement Regarding the Areas Outside the Kingdom Which Are Considered Dangerous Communicable Disease Areas for Covid-19” is in effect from 23 April 2020 onwards, after it was published in the Royal Gazette on 22 April 2020.

In this announcement, the five countries include Malaysia, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Republic of Indonesia, and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

The Ministry of Public Health in early March 2020 defined four countries as dangerous communicable disease areas. The four countries include the Republic of Korea, the People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions), the Republic of Italy, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The new announcement brings the number of dangerous communicable disease areas for Covid-19 outside the Kingdom to nine. It was issued as Thailand is facing a high risk of Covid-19 from travelers from the countries sharing borders with Thailand.

SOURCES: The Nation Thailand | The Pattaya News