Thailand's Ministry of Public Health on Saturday announced designating the COVID-19 as a dangerous communicable disease, which will go effect on Sunday.
The "dangerous communicable disease" announcement is based on provisions in Sections 5 and 6 of the Communicable Disease Act. It was published in the Royal Gazette on Saturday.
The Listing will give more power to the authorities to respond quickly, to combat and control the spread of the virus, the announcement said.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that from Sunday onward, officials will be empowered to order people suspected of being infected with COVID-19 to undergo treatment and put them in quarantine, and to close venues affected by the virus.
"Listing COVID-19 as a dangerous communicable disease is not meant to create fear, but it is strengthening the Thai law to sustain national security," said Anutin on Saturday.
The Public Health Ministry has confirmed that the total number of COVID-19 cases in Thailand now stands at 42.
Anutin also reiterated that travelers who returned to Thailand and failed to report their travel history will be subject to penalty at 20,000 baht (630 U.S. dollars) to 500,000 baht (15,752 U.S. dollars).
