Public Health Ministry pushes for January 15 cutoff for Test & Go

Thailand’s Health Public Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says the ministry is proposing the cutoff date for those travelling under the Test & Go scheme be set to January 15. The government had previously discussed setting January 10 as the last day for approved travellers to enter under the quarantine exemption programme, but no date has been finalised.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will discuss the suspension of the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme at its general meeting tomorrow chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The health minister says some tourists did not follow rules and conditions of the programme. Some left their hotel without permission while their on-arrival RT-PCR Covid-19 tests were in the lab. The results can take hours to up to a day to come back and travellers under the Test & Go scheme are required to book a night at an approved hotel.

Anutin says some travellers even showed fake health insurance. He says officials will be screening travellers more carefully in the future.

Along with reviewing the ministry’s proposal, the CCSA is also expected to revised its provincial colour-coded zoning which is based on local Covid-19 infection rates. Some provinces are expected to be recategorised with more restrictions following the uptick in coronavirus infections after the New Year holiday.

SOURCE: Khaosod | The Standard