No lockdown for Thailand despite Omicron arrival, says Anutin
No lockdown will be imposed in Thailand despite the arrival of the Omicron variant, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul declared on Tuesday.
A foreigner who had travelled from Spain on November 30 tested positive for the variant last Friday, making him Thailand’s first Omicron case.
Anutin said the Department of Medical Science is testing the patient’s sample even more closely to ensure it is actually the Omicron variant, and results should be ready in about three to four days.
He also said that Thailand’s travel measures were still effective as all arrivals are required to show a negative RT-PCR test result and vaccine certificate and spend the first night in quarantine to wait for another RT-PCR test result.
“These measures allow officials to check for all Covid-19 variants and provide treatment if they test positive,” he said.
Anutin said the only way of preventing the spread of Omicron is maintaining good preventive measures and getting double-jabbed.
“We will not impose a lockdown as the country has only just reopened and many businesses have started to recover. We want people to lead their lives normally instead of panicking, especially since the New Year festival is almost upon us,” he said.
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