UPDATE: Ban on arriving flights lifts at midnight tonight
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand’s three day flight arrival ban will end at midnight tonight. The ban on all aircraft from entering Thailand for three days came into effect when some 152 returning Thai nationals landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday evening and refused quarantine orders, saying they had not been informed of the requirement and demanding to return to their homes.
Chaos followed and eventually the presiding army officer, (who has since been recalled), allowed them to leave the premises to self-quarantine at home.
The CAAT issued the order a few hours after the Friday incident. The order, signed by CAAT director-general Chula Sukmanop cites Sections 27 and 28 of the Air Navigation Act to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus and to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
According to the order, all aircraft carrying passengers were prohibited from entering Thailand with the exceptions of state or military aircraft, emergency landings, humanitarian aid, medical and relief flights, repatriation flights and cargo aircraft.
The order is effective until midnight tonight and stipulates that all passengers who embarked before the order came into must be follow restrictions regarding communicable disease prevention and must be held in quarantine for no less than 14 days.
SOURCE: The Nation
