No sign of Omicron among tourists from southern Africa: CCSA

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2021
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As many as 1,007 people from 12 countries in the south of Africa have landed in Thailand via the sandbox scheme, and none have tested positive for the Omicron variant, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced on Monday.

CCSA spokesperson Dr Apisamai Srirangsan also confirmed that none of the arrivals tested positive for Covid-19.

The Public Health Ministry has taken urgent steps to prevent the new variant from entering the country by cancelling all flights to Thailand from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

CCSA has also decided to keep RT-PCR tests mandatory for travellers arriving under the Test & Go scheme. It had been thinking about allowing foreigners to undergo rapid antigen tests at the airport so they wouldn’t have to spend the first night in an SHA Plus+ hotel.