BANGKOK: From Sunday (Mar 22), all travellers - both Thai and foreign - will need to acquire a health certificate before entering Thailand as the country stepped up its efforts to control the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

On Mar 19, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) issued guidelines for air operators that provide services to passengers travelling to the country. From Mar 22, foreign nationals wishing to visit Thailand will have to present a health certificate at the time of check-in to prove they pose no risk of COVID-19 infection.



Guidelines for air operators providing services to passengers travelling to Thailand. (The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand)

“The health certificate must be issued no more than 72 hours prior to the date of travel,” CAAT said in an announcement.

Foreign passengers will also need health insurance that provides at least US$100,000 worth of medical coverage of COVID-19 in Thailand, it added.



As for Thai travellers, they will need a health certificate confirming they are fit to fly, and a letter issued by the Thai Embassy, Thai Consular Office or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to certify they are Thai nationals returning home.

Thai soldiers take the temperatures of arriving passengers at Phuket International Airport, to check for symptoms of the coronavirus. (Mladen ANTONOV/AFP)

“If the passengers are unable to present the required documentation,” CAAT added, “the air operator shall not issue a boarding pass and the boarding shall be denied.”

The announcement came after the biggest daily increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Thailand. On Mar 19, the Public Health Ministry reported 60 new cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 272.

Come Mar 22, passengers travelling to Thailand will be subject to isolation, quarantine, observation, or any other measures designed to prevent and control the disease, according to CAAT.

The decision will be made by disease control officials at the international communicable disease control checkpoint.

After boarding pass issuance, passengers will also need to declare where they will be accommodated in Thailand. They can also enter their information in a mobile application called AOT Airport of Thailand, CAAT said.

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