Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Minister of Interior Anupong Paochinda have signed an executive order granting visa amnesty to foreigners left stranded in Thailand by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thailand issues automatic visa extension for foreigners (Photo: Thailand's Immigration Bureau)

The notice was released by the Ministry of Interior on April 8.

Accordingly, entry visas of foreigners expiring from March 26 onwards will automatically be extended until April 30 without having to apply for an extension, and not be fined 500 baht (15 USD) per day for this case as previously prescribed.

Those who are due for 90 days reports between March 26 and April 30 are temporarily exempted from reporting in this period until further notice.

The same day, the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand announced that it will support Vietnamese citizens who really have aspirations to return to the homeland. They will include students under 18; students of closed schools and dormitories; the elderly aged 60 and above; those undergoing medical treatment in Thailand or having a background of heart disease, diabetes, cancer; contract-expired labourers and those visited their relatives in the country.

The Thai government declared state of emergency from March 26 to April 30 with the goal of containing the spread of the disease.

In Indonesia, the Indonesian government has purchased 20 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing machines, to enhance the capacity of SARS-CoV-2 testing and Covid-19 treatment in 11 provinces and cities nationwide.

Source: VNA