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No overstay fine for tourists caught up in virus outbreak

No overstay fine for tourists caught up in virus outbreak

BANGKOK: Foreign tourists whose travel plans are disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak will not be fined if they overstay in Thailand, the Immigration Bureau said today (Jan 27).

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By Bangkok Post

Monday 27 January 2020 04:30 PM


Chinese tourists wearing face masks watch a traditional dance at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok today (Jan 27). Photo: AFP

Chinese tourists wearing face masks watch a traditional dance at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok today (Jan 27). Photo: AFP

Deputy bureau spokesman Choengron Rimphadi said tourists caught up in the problems caused by the epidemic and actions taken to contain it will not have to pay the usual fine.

At Suvarnabhumi, the Airport Operations Centre will help tourists stranded at the airport due to the deadly virus. The contact number is 02-132-9950, Pol Col Choengron said.

Suvarnabhumi is the main gateway for tourists entering the country.

China has sealed off Wuhan and about a dozen more cities in Hubei province in a bid to contain the viral outbreak. Flights in and out of the city have been grounded.

Bejing also extended the Chinese New Year holiday from Jan 30 to Feb 2 to limit travel and stop the spread of the virus.

Pol Col Choengron said passengers affected by the virus have contacted their airlines for a refund or to reschedule their itinerary and stay longer in Thailand. Others wanted to reroute their return trips to other airports close to Wuhan, he said.

Baby infected

The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus outbreak rose to 81 today, with thousands more infected.

A nine-month-old baby in Beijing was among those infected, authorities said, making her the youngest person to have been confirmed to have contracted the virus.

Earlier today Mongolia closed its border crossings with China to cars, temporarily shut schools and suspended public events to prevent the deadly virus from reaching its soil, authorities said.

The measures announced by the vast, landlocked country are the most drastic steps taken by any nation so far over concerns about coronavirus, that has rapidly spread across China.