Coronavirus: travel chaos in Thailand over new entry restrictions

Confusion over Thailand’s new coronavirus curbs left travellers scrambling on Friday as Thai citizens queued at embassies abroad to get special travel papers and foreigners faced the challenge of producing a negative test for the disease.

Testing kits are limited in most countries, especially to people who appear healthy – meaning the Thai rules amount to a de facto ban on all foreigners.

The regulations, which take effect on Sunday, were announced on Thursday, but a clarifying document from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) later that night set off a flurry of confusion for both Thai and foreign nationals.

The official pronouncement said Thai citizens needed a medical certificate saying they were “fit to fly” but also a letter from a Thai embassy certifying they were citizens if they planned to return from abroad.

That sent hundreds to crowd outside the Thai Embassy in London and legations in other cities, according to witnesses and social media posts.

“Oh God, it’s a nightmare. Things are very unclear,” said a Thai medical student who was struggling to obtain papers for his Thai girlfriend in London. The student asked not to be named for fear of repercussions.