Thailand will classify Covid-19 as a "dangerous" communicable disease, a term used for conditions requiring specific control, such as mandatory quarantine.
The government has also approved a plan for handling the so-called Level 3 of the coronavirus outbreak, in which more stringent measures will be implemented if the situation worsens.
Covid-19 will be the 14th disease to be given the "dangerous" title in Thailand, said Sophon Iamsirithawon, director of Bureau of Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Disease Control. "If the number of infections rises significantly in the next two months, we will invoke a law to control the disease," he said.
Separately, three Thais aboard the Diamond Princess are being treated for Covid-19 in Japan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Cherdkiat Atthakor said.