Thailand mulls travel ban to UK travellers as Bangkok and other provinces goes into lockdown

Thailand is reportedly considering a travel ban to travellers from the UK to prevent the more contagious variant of COVID-19 from spreading its borders.

The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand will ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to place an entry ban on those from the UK. The fast-spreading B117 strain of Covid-19 was found in four British nationals entering Thailand on 21 December.

Department of Disease Control chief Opas Karnkawinpong confirmed that all of the passengers who boarded the same flight with the four patients as well as everyone they came in contact with were located and tested. All of them were clear of the virus.

Effective today, Thai capital Bangkok and several provinces headed into lockdown due to the rising cases in the city. Invoking the Emergency Decree, Thailand’s Prime Minister imposed lockdown measures on 28 provinces declared as Red Zones.

People are advised to suspend or postpone any unnecessary travel plans. Some of the other lockdown measures are:

• travel restrictions
• voluntary working from home
• school closures
• ban on serving alcohol in restaurants
• all crowd-attracting activities