Coronavirus (Covid-19)

Reduction in mandatory quarantine back on the table again

Published

7 months ago

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Maya Taylor

PHOTO: Bloomberg

After initially saying a plan to reduce the mandatory quarantine period was being shelved due to public concerns, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has announced it’s back on. A proposal to reduce quarantine for foreign arrivals from 14 days to 10 is being submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration next week.

A report in the Bangkok Post says Anutin was speaking at a “Smart Living with Covid-19” seminar, where he was addressing concerns over the government’s policy on re-opening the country. He says the proposed reduction in quarantine was made based on a full assessment of the capacity of public health officials. Anutin says Thailand is now in a better position to fight the virus, with increased knowledge, experience, manpower, medical supplies, and facilities, including more hospital beds and testing laboratories.

The Health Minster says he’s confident that the health control measures already in place are sufficient and that the proposed 10-day quarantine would only be applied to those arriving from “low-risk” countries.

Opas Kankawinphong from the Department of Disease Control, is also supportive of the reduction, pointing out that in most cases, the virus is detected in the first 10 days. Most infections found after that period are either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, with a lower risk of transmission.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

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16 Comments

Happy Tourist

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 12:49 pm

wow, Khun Steve did’t sleep very good last night chai mai?

Reply
Jesus Monroe

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 1:14 pm

Hey Steve it’s not that I disagree with some of the things you are saying but can you see how calling Thais openly racist and then using the term Thai dogs makes you look not so good yourself. Rise above this my friend so your arguments pack the punch they deserve.

Reply
Roland Nystad

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 2:03 pm

Most have already a negative convid 19 test befor entering Thailand, if you add that onto 10 days , then you are close to 14 days, That will be in my case,

Reply
Wijnschenk

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 2:30 pm

Be carefull what you say on any medium….
Anything you write can!! And will be used against you……

Reply
- Stone Cold Steve Austin
  
  Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 2:57 pm
  
  Ahahaha really ? You cant intimidate me with your stupid threats you Thai laughingstock. Here in Europe we have freedom of speech. Do you even know what this is ? Has starvation already reduced your brain mass ? Get a life and never ever threaten Stone Cold Steve Austin again.
  
  Reply
  - The Thaiger & The Nation
    
    Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 3:13 pm
    
    You just got yourself blocked.
    
    Reply
Mike Frenchie

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 2:33 pm

The Minister has probably got the – flashing red – profit and loss statement of his golf course (lol)! Anyway, 10 or 14 will change nothing since China and Korea will demand 14 days quarantine on the way back (forget NZ and Australia whose citizens cannot travel) because Thailand is not testing! For the Nordic countries, they have now thousands of cases daily…
Tourism is dead… best time to buy a biz (in Thailand) will be next Summer/Fall – will be the discount of a lifetime…

Reply
AI

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 4:49 pm

The thing is, that who would suffer a 2 week in a hotel for an unproven “virus” even exists. And then on return to their countries, will further again suffer even more quarantine for an unproven “virus”?!
Obviously, there is something else behind all of this going down and keeping people away from travelling, n’est ce pas?.

Reply
DK

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 5:09 pm

If tourists are coming from less impacted area plus Covid clearance before starting is enough imo. Govt. can require the wrist band and a frequent check up. Provided people in authority are wishing well for the people who are suffering for lack of business. Test of reasonability must be considered.

Reply
Tom

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 5:27 pm

10 days – 14 days really desn’t make a difference to be honest because I wouldn’t be entering Thailand under either scheme, EVEN if it is 10 days you then have to have a specified amount in your bank, ANOTHER (Thai) insureance policy which I think is just a money grab, There’s just too many hurdles to make people want to come.
I mean how many tourist actual tourist have taken part in the STV and not people returning to families and businesses?? Yes I would love to see Thailand again soon but there’s no way I could take a further 2 weeks of work stretching it to 9 weeks.

Sorry to say BUT normal tourist just WON’T jump through the hoops that TAT want…

Reply
- nick
  
  Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 7:43 pm
  
  the quarantine not so bad just the cost .
  
  Reply
Happy Tourist

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 7:07 pm

By now Thailand is out of pandemy. Look the pictures from Italy, Spain or US. So who of you would open the gates to let the virus demolish your country? Not an easy decision, so don’t bash Thailand for their strategy.

Reply
Wayno

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 8:01 pm

10 days or 14 days, it makes no difference. Very few will come because of all the other crazy requirements put in place.

Reply
Leo Z

Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 9:29 pm

“Low risk” or “high political gain”?

I was just reading that in the US, CVS alone (the pharmacy chain) has conducted 7 million tests! Plus the other pharmacies, plus the hospitals, plus the test centers. How many tests has Thailand conducted??

And even though S. Korea has tested about 10% of its population, I don’t think China has tested 140 million people. But as all know, “China has recovered, low-risk country”. I guess that’s why they’re packing the movie theaters over there. A friend of mine sent me a Wechat photo last week, 5 people in the cinema.

Reply
AI

Sunday, November 15, 2020 at 5:08 pm

May I be so bold as to ask a question to those mentioning the so called “virus” as if it is real.
Can one, just one of you provide any evidence that the dastardly virus actually exists?

As to the childish CGI graphics thrown around of this thing, don’t you think it looks like a WW 1 and 2 type of mine used to sink ships? Where’s all the REAL photographs?

Over and Out – Fanx 😉

Reply
Paul

Sunday, November 15, 2020 at 10:03 pm

Steve,ermm, no, Europe doesn’t have free speech. Only the USA does. Thais aren’t starving either (gosh I loathe the word “starving”). Don’t be so ignorant. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. A reduction of the quarantine period is a small step in the right direction. Stop flip flopping and just do it. If you don’t want to, then just declare the country closed forever.

Reply

Maya Taylor

A seasoned writer, with a degree in Creative Writing. Over ten years' experience in producing blog and magazine articles, news reports and website content.

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