Thailand will ban travel from eight African countries in light of the emergence and spread of the new Omicron coronavirus strain, Opas Karnkawinpong, the director general of the country's disease control department, said on Saturday
BANGKOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th November, 2021) Thailand will ban travel from eight African countries in light of the emergence and spread of the new Omicron coronavirus strain, Opas Karnkawinpong, the director general of the country's disease control department, said on Saturday.
"The health ministry and the government center for control over the spread of COVID-19 will soon release a statement, banning entry travelers from these countries from entering Thailand starting December 2021," Karnkawinpong said at a briefing.
Until then, according to the official, those arriving from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi and Mozambique cannot use quarantine-free entry programs for fully vaccinated tourists.
"All travelers arriving in the coming days from the eight African countries have to undergo a full 14-day quarantine regardless of the vaccination status," Karnkawinpong stated.
Karnkawinpong added that the new strain has not yet been detected in Thailand.
The World Health Organization (WHO) identified on Friday the new South African strain as one of concern, as it is reported to carry a high number of mutations � 32 � which possibly makes it more transmissible and dangerous. The WHO has dubbed it Omicron, the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.
