Thailand has been working to repatriate Thais stranded abroad. Once they arrive, however, all must pass stringent health screening, followed by 14 days in quarantine, to safeguard those already in the country.
Arriving in the Kingdom, every passenger must go through stringent screening.
Officials will welcome them on arrival, then brief them regarding the required stay at a State Quarantine Center for a period of 14 days.
Everyone will need to go through the normal immigration processes, then complete a form providing their home address and any congenital disorder the passenger might have, to comply with the Ministry of Public Health’s regulations.
Next, all arrivals need to install and register a monitoring application on their mobile phones. Once completed, their body temperature is checked. If it exceeds 37.5oC, the individual will need to take a short rest prior to rechecking. If the temperature still exceeds the limit, they will immediately be sent to hospital to be tested for COVID-19. If the result is negative, they will be quarantined for the standard 14 days.
Those whose temperature is under 37.5oC will proceed to collect their checked-in luggage. Between the first check-point and the luggage collection area, everyone will pass through numerous thermal scanners, to make sure that their body temperature remains below the set level.
After everyone has collected their luggage, authorities will take all passengers to the State Quarantine Facility by bus. Before boarding the bus, both the person and baggage will be sprayed with disinfectant. Arriving at the quarantine facility, individuals attend another briefing, and undergo another temperature check. Each individual will be given a separate room, but families who wish to stay together, must sign a consent form.
The entire process, from disembarking from the aircraft to entering quarantine, takes approximately three hours.
The teams working to screen incoming passengers, despite being at high risk, have expressed their dedication in controlling the spread of COVID-19. The teams also protect themselves, so they will not spread the disease.
Screening at Suvarnabhumi airport continues to be stringent, following a visit by the Minister attached to the Prime Ministers’ Office, Tewan Liptapallop. The Minister offered moral support and said that, despite the closure of the country’s air traffic, there are still Thais abroad who wish to return home.
“It’s rather an intensive procedure, we are dealing with those at risk and need to quarantine them for 14 days. Once at the accommodation, Public Health Officers will check arrivals again and, once in the facility, their relatives will not be able to visit, other than to deliver items to those quarantined. So only a phone call will be possible. Looking at the processes to pass through immigration and leaving the airport, soldiers will take care of these processes. We can rest assured that the measures in place will enable people to feel that we maintain the highest standards,” said the Minister.
Despite the generally decreasing number of infections being found, infections among inbound Thais is increasing and this demands increased security measures to make sure that citizens within the country can rest assured that all Thais returning from abroad will be strictly screened and checked before being released to their families.
