Starting in May, high risk groups who have been in close contact with Covid 19 will still have to self isolate at home, but the time will be shortened from 7 days to 5 days. While the self isolation period is shorter, they will need to monitor their health for another 5 days, according to the Director-general of the Department of Disease Control (DDC), Opas Karnkawinpong.
The proposal is being called the 5+5 quarantine program.
At the moment, those at risk who came in contact with Covid 19 have to isolate themselves for a week, before monitoring their own well being for the next 3 days. They have the freedom to do what they wish during the 3 days but must follow the safety procedures.
After the Songkran holiday, the new isolation proposal will be submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to review and if accepted, the change will come into effect in May.
The CCSA will have to analyse the situation after Songkran. The daily cases of Covid 19 are expected to increase, but health officials say the problem can be controlled.
Daily Covid cases have been hovering between 21,000 – 28,000 new infections since February 23. Thailand’s ‘surge’ of Omicron has been running around 2 moths after similar surges, then drops, in most other countries.
Omicron, specifically the BA.2 variant, is the current main Covid 19 variant in Thailand.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post