SINGAPORE: Singapore travellers arriving in Thailand will not have to self-quarantine for 14 days if they are healthy, the Thai embassy said on Wednesday.
In response to queries from TODAY amid confusion over the quarantine requirements imposed by Thai authorities, the embassy nevertheless added that all arriving passengers will have to comply with health screening procedures.
Those who have a fever with respiratory systems will undergo a further medical evaluation and will potentially be placed in a hospital isolation room.
It also advised all visitors to monitor their health as a precautionary measure to prevent the outbreak of Covid-19 and minimise social contact, avoid public transport and maintain good personal hygiene.
Travellers who need to visit crowded places should wear a mask, it added.
Those who develop a fever with respiratory symptoms while in Thailand are advised to seek medical treatment immediately and call 1422.
“Our Thai government welcomes all nationalities of all countries,” the embassy statement said.
The confusion over quarantine requirements for Singapore travellers to Thailand arose after a Facebook post by Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday afternoon.
The post, which was written in Thai and widely reported on various news sites, said that people travelling from 11 "high-risk" zones are required to self-quarantine for 14 days, one day after the regulation is published in the Royal Gazette.
The 11 places listed were Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Iran, Italy, France and Germany.
The post has since been deleted, although the information from the deleted post remained published on international news sites including CNN.
The minister later closed his Facebook account.
Bloomberg, citing Public Health Ministry spokesman Taweesilp Witsanuyotin on Wednesday, reported that the idea to impose a mandatory 14-day period of self-quarantine on travellers coming from high-risk countries is not off the table.
It noted that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is discussing this measure with other officials.
A report by the Straits Times citing Thai Public Health Ministry officials, however stated that travellers from the nine high-risk zones are “advised" to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Asked to clarify this report, the embassy reiterated its earlier statement to TODAY, pointing out that there “will be no quarantine required for all nationalities who wish to enter our kingdom of Thailand”.