Thailand’s prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has confirmed the cabinet’s decision to maintain the RT-PCR Covid-19 testing for international arrivals under the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme, reversing an earlier approved plan to allow travellers to take an antigen test, as part of measures to control the spread of the new Omicron variant.
The relaxed requirements, which were supposed to kick in on December 16, would have applied to travellers from 63 countries and territories who are allowed to enter under the test-and-go scheme, according to a report from the Bangkok Post.
The report quoted deputy public health minister, Sathit Pitutecha, as saying on Monday that “RT-PCR tests are more accurate than ATK tests, which is important to help prevent an Omicron outbreak in Thailand.”
Since December 1, foreign travellers from eight countries in southern Africa, namely, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, have been barred from entering to keep the variant out of Thailand, according to Apisamai Srirangson, assistant spokeswoman of the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration.
Thais arriving from those countries will still be allowed to enter, but they will have to serve a 14-day quarantine.
Thailand’s prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has confirmed the cabinet’s decision to maintain the RT-PCR Covid-19 testing for international arrivals under the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme, reversing an earlier approved plan to allow travellers to take an antigen test, as part of measures to control the spread of the new Omicron variant.
The relaxed requirements, which were supposed to kick in on December 16, would have applied to travellers from 63 countries and territories who are allowed to enter under the test-and-go scheme, according to a report from the Bangkok Post.
The report quoted deputy public health minister, Sathit Pitutecha, as saying on Monday that “RT-PCR tests are more accurate than ATK tests, which is important to help prevent an Omicron outbreak in Thailand.”
Since December 1, foreign travellers from eight countries in southern Africa, namely, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, have been barred from entering to keep the variant out of Thailand, according to Apisamai Srirangson, assistant spokeswoman of the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration.
Thais arriving from those countries will still be allowed to enter, but they will have to serve a 14-day quarantine.