Should Thai Gov’t Enforce the Measurement on Banning Chinese VOA Like PHL and MY?

The Philippine Immigration Bureau on Tuesday announced the temporary suspension to issue a visa on arrival or VOA for Chinese people amid the rapidly spreading of coronavirus.

“We are now temporarily suspending the issuance of Visa Upon Arrival for Chinese nationals to slow down the influx of group tours,” Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said in the statement.

Morente also stated that it is not a measure to ban Chinese travelers entering the Philippines. The measure objects to prevent the entry of the disease to the Philippines.

The Malaysian authorities as well already imposed a temporary ban on Chinese visitors from Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province on Monday to quarantine the virus outbreak.

Currently, there are 4 cases that have been confirmed for the respiratory disease in Malaysia. The suspension on issuing the visa to Hubei province residents was immediately affected.    

Meanwhile, on 27 January 2020, Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has delivered a statement on the television broadcast that ”The government has taken 100 percent control of the situation,” as the government’s precautionary measures are met the international standards and the process of monitoring visitors is efficient.

Before the statement, there was 8 confirmed infection cases with five patients have recovered and left the hospital. However, today (28 January) the Ministry of Public Health reported that six Chinese national visitors to Thailand were found to be infected with coronavirus. The total cases in Thailand reached to 14. 

An additional six cases are about 6 – 60 years old and five of them are family from Hubei province.

According to reports from Chinese mainland media, Thailand was the most popular overseas destination for Wuhan people during the New Year holiday until before cities shutdown. A financial newspaper reported that about 20,000 people traveled to airports in Thailand.

Many countries had already arisen an awareness on quarantining the virus and limiting Chinese people to enter the country in order to control the outbreak. But in Thailand has yet released any restrained measure and further act regarding on the recent another 6 cases found.  

Thai people started to ask that only monitoring and scanning every single person traveling from China and other nations with risks to the dangerous sickness is really sufficient to restrict the spreading of the virus? 

Besides China, Thailand is the country with the most infections, 14 cases in total, the question is “Does the Government really take 100% control of the situation?” or maybe shall the Prime Minister ordered the suspension on issuing visa on arrival for Chinese national like other neighboring counties. At least Thailand can narrow down Chinese visitors to enter the country and encourage Thai people to relieve the concern over the breakout.