Thailand Mulls Mandatory 14-Day Coronavirus Quarantine on High-Risk Arrivals

(Bloomberg) -- Thailand is considering whether to impose a mandatory 14-day period of self-quarantine on people arriving from countries deemed high-risk for novel coronavirus infection.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha is discussing the potential step with other officials, Health Ministry spokesman Taweesilp Witsanuyotin said in a briefing Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a Facebook post that people arriving from a slew of territories -- Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Iran, Italy, France and Germany -- must self-quarantine. However, the post was subsequently deleted.

Thailand’s stock market and tourism-reliant economy are reeling from travel curbs sparked by the outbreak of the disease known as Covid-19, particularly a collapse in visitors from disease epicenter China.

Governments worldwide have stepped up travel oversight or restrictions in the fight against the virus, which has killed more than 3,000 people. Singapore said Tuesday it will bar all new visitors with recent travel history to Iran, northern Italy or South Korea within the last 14 days.

To contact the reporter on this story: Siraphob Thanthong-Knight in Bangkok at rthanthongkn@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sunil Jagtiani at sjagtiani@bloomberg.net, Natnicha Chuwiruch

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