Travellers from Bangkok and other risk areas heading to their home provinces for Songkran will not have to go into quarantine, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Tuesday.
Mr Anutin said that although provinces had been divided into zones, designated by colours according to the infection rates, none would be locked down. People could still travel to other provinces without having to go into quarantine on arrival at their destination.
Only people who had been infected with the virus, or were considered at high risk, would be quarantined, he said.
On the suggestion that travellers from provinces designated as red zones could spark worries on arrival in other provinces, Mr Anutin said that in the true Songkran tradition people go home primarily to seek blessings from respected elders.
They do not head there just to look for fun, go around drinking and visiting crowded places, he said. During the Covid-19 pandemic, people should avoid large gatherings.
The public health minister asked that people remain alert and careful, and not be too fun-loving. It was clearly evident the virus spread among groups of people visiting entertainment venues, he said.
The Bhumjaithai leader was speaking during a visit to party headquarters in Bangkok.