BANGKOK: Thailand will require travellers from or through DR Congo and Uganda to undergo 21-day quarantine from Wednesday (May 27) amid Ebola concerns.
Dr Montien Kanasawadse, Director-General of the Department of Disease Control, said after a meeting of the National Communicable Disease Committee on Wednesday that Thailand would tighten measures in response to the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease in Africa.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The main outbreaks are currently in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there are 867 suspected cases and 214 deaths, and Uganda, where five confirmed cases and one death have been reported.
Although Thailand has not yet detected any cases, the disease is highly severe and has an incubation period of up to 21 days.
The Public Health Ministry has therefore declared the two countries as areas infected with a dangerous communicable disease in order to impose strict disease-control measures.
Dr Montien said the meeting approved upgraded measures for travellers with a history of travelling from or through the two countries designated as dangerous communicable disease zones for Ebola virus disease.
The guidelines for communicable disease control officers will be changed from “holding for observation” to isolation or quarantine for at least 21 days, as follows:
>Travellers without symptoms will be placed under quarantine at a location designated by communicable disease control officers.
>Travellers with symptoms will be placed under isolation at a state medical facility designated by communicable disease control officers.
The meeting also approved a proposal to relevant agencies requiring travellers arriving from or transiting through the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda to enter Thailand only through Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The Department of Disease Control will prepare quarantine facilities for travellers entering Thailand from 6pm on May 27, 2026, onwards. The department will closely monitor the situation and periodically assess the appropriate measures.
Travellers who violate or fail to comply with orders issued by communicable disease control officers under the Communicable Diseases Act 2015 will face penalties.
Those who violate or fail to comply with an order requiring isolation or quarantine under Section 34(1) face a fine of up to 20,000 baht under Section 51.
Those who violate an order prohibiting them from leaving an isolation or quarantine facility under Section 34(7) face imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both, under Section 52.
The department asked all travellers to provide accurate travel-history information to support effective disease prevention and control.
It also urged the public to have confidence in Thailand’s surveillance system, which is prepared in terms of personnel, medical supplies and advanced laboratory capacity.
For more information, people can call the Department of Disease Control hotline at 1422. - The Nation/ANN
