The Ministry of Foreign Affairs details new regulations in an official letter for diplomatic missions in Thailand on Wednesday following the Rayong scandal.
The letter was addressed to all diplomatic missions, consular representatives and international organizations (DCIOs) in Thailand.
It said that from July 15 onwards, all diplomats and their families are required to wait at the airport for their COVID-test results before being allowed to leave.
However, the 14-day mandatory state or alternate state quarantine still does not apply to these individuals as they are allowed to self-quarantine.
“With recent confirmed COVID-19 infections involving members of DCIOs returning from abroad, the ministry wishes to request the DCIO’s kind cooperation in closely supervising their staff and family members… [and] to strictly undergo self-quarantine at an isolated facility for at least 14 days,” the letter read.
“In case of an emergency that requires the quarantined person(s) to leave their accommodation, the DCIOs are required to inform the ministry in advance,” it added.
The changes in regulations came after administrative mistakes were made by the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) which led to a possible coronavirus outbreak in Bangkok and Rayong.
The cases involve two foreign delegations from Egypt and Sudan who were allowed to enter Thailand last week without undergoing the mandatory 14-day state quarantine.
One member of the Egyptian delegation was found to be infected with the coronavirus during his brief stay in Rayong and another member, a nine-year-old child, of the Sudanese delegation was also found to be infected with the virus while in Bangkok.
The ministry concluded the letter by saying that the government is “in process of reviewing and evaluating related disease prevention measures concerning the DCIOs” so there could be more changes to the regulations in the near future.
Panic in Rayong
As the infected member of the Egyptian delegation was allowed to roam around the city of Rayong on July 10 before the news broke out on Monday, hundreds of Thai citizens have decided to get themselves tested on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Free mobile COVID-testing centers were set up by the Department of Disease Control at two department stores in Rayong. Both centers have been visited by 1,300 citizens on Tuesday.
An additional 1,000 people visited the testing sites again on Wednesday morning. As a result, officials have set a cap of only 900 people per day until July 28.
The owner of the hotel where 31 Egyptian delegations stayed in said on Tuesday that more than 90 per cent of their bookings have been cancelled following the news.
Many schools and department stores in Rayong also decided to temporarily close down for a major clean up as a precaution.
The government has already identified and tested more than 20 individuals that came in close contact with the two delegations including hotel staff and drivers.
So far, the results have been negative for the infection.
