The Public Health Ministry will recommend suspension of Thailand’s "Test and Go" programme amid concerns about the Omicron variant situation worldwide.
Test and Go currently applies to fully vaccinated air travellers arriving from specific countries.
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday that he would put the proposal to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
He said all arrivals should be processed through the Sandbox and State Quarantine schemes.
Dr Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the ministry's Department of Medical Sciences, said one Omicron case who entered the country via Test and Go had tested negative for Covid-19 both before and upon arrival, but a few days later the visitor became ill and tested positive for the new variant.
For this reason Test and Go should be reviewed because the case had been within the infection-period window of six to seven days, Dr Supakit said.
"If Test and Go is not reviewed, then infected but undetected arrivals can right away travel farther inside the country and cause clusters of infections," he said.
Dr Supakit said Thailand had detected more than 80 Omicron cases to date. There were 11 cases from April to Dec 10, 52 cases from Dec 11 to 19, and more cases were reported on Monday morning.
"Most Omicron cases detected were arrivals at Suvarnabhumi airport and they formed a quarter of the Covid-19 cases found there. The case numbers increased quite quickly over the past week, which corresponded with the global situation," he said.
However, all Omicron cases were arrivals and there had not been a local infection of the new variant, he said.
