The Public Health Emergency Operation Centre has approved the proposal to reduce the mandatory quarantine period for tourists under the special tourist visa (STV) from 14 to 10 days, permanent secretary for public health Kiattiphum Wongrajit, said on Thursday.
Speaking after a meeting yesterday, he said it was agreed the reduction should apply to visitors from countries with low risk of Covid-19 transmission.
If visitors are from countries assessed to have higher risk than Thailand, they will still be subject to the 14-day quarantine period, Dr Kiattiphum said.
He explained that testing of Covid-19 is carried out on the first, second, third, seventh, eighth, ninth and eleventh days after arrival, and any infection is usually detected during the first 10 days.
However, chances of detecting infections after 10 days of quarantine are slim. Of 1 million people tested, only 1.5 persons were found to be infected, Mr Kiattiphum said. He added that the chances of finding infections after 14 days of quarantine are 0.3 out of 1 million.
He said the proposal will be submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) for endorsement.
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said yesterday that Thailand has been praised for successfully controlling the spread of Covid-19, largely due to the public's willingness to cooperate with disease control measures.
"It is not because of the government, but because of all Thais working together that we have prevented the disease," the minister said. He also urged people not to lower their guard.
The CCSA yesterday reported six new coronavirus infections, all quarantined arrivals from five countries, raising the total to 3,810.
The CCSA said the new cases were two from France and one each from Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary and Myanmar. The two cases from France were a 59-year-old French construction consultant and his Chinese wife, 46.
The couple arrived in Thailand on Oct 29 and stayed at an alternative quarantine facility in Nonthaburi.