Thailand warms up, causing temperature checks to drop

The Ministry of Public Health will recommend to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration that temperature measurement equipment and checkpoints are removed from all Thai airports and other sites since there is no proof that they reduce the transmission of coronavirus.

According to Rungruang Kitphati, the Head of the Ministry of Public Health's Health Technical Office, temperature checks were one of the first Covid screening techniques because the most common symptom of most patients was a high fever. As a result, temperature measurement devices and temperature checkpoints were installed across the country.

According to Rungruang, the Ministry of Public Health has examined the temperature measurement setup and agrees that Thailand should abandon it now that the pandemic situation has improved.

The infrared temperature screening methods employed at airports, according to Rungruang, have no proof of effectiveness in blocking Covid.

Last year, Singapore discontinued temperature inspections, and the US and Canada did not even promote them, so Rungruang believes it is time for Thailand to follow suit.

The administration will propose eliminating the temperature checkpoints at the next CCSA conference, according to Rungruang. He went on to stress that the ministry would continue to advocate booster doses, wearing a face mask in busy situations, hand-washing all day and keeping a social distance.