No compulsory quarantine of visitors to Thailand: health ministry

A man walking throught a 'sanitizing gate' spraying disinfectans againts coronavirus before entering into a shopping mall in Bangkok, on Friday (March 6). Thai health authorities announced they would not order the compulsory quarantine of visitors from four countries hit hard by coronavirus. - Reuters

BANGKOK: Thai health authorities on Friday (Feb 28) said they would not order the compulsory quarantine of visitors from four countries hit hard by coronavirus, as the kingdom struggles to balance health fears with the needs of its flatlining economy.

The holidays of possibly tens of thousands of people were cast into doubt on Tuesday when the health minister insisted a quarantine of all entrants from nine countries including China -- its territories of Hong Kong and Macau -- Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan, would be imposed.