Massage girls don face masks to protect against the coronavirus as they wait for customers on the busy Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 5.

Thailand, which has 48 confirmed cases of the disease including a British businessman, yesterday ordered arrivals from six high risk countries to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The strict measures will see tourists forced to stay in their hotel room, report daily to the authorities and face fines or prison if they breach the rules.

Reuters reported that the quarantine announcement, published in the official Royal Gazette on Thursday, classified South Korea, China, Macao, Hong Kong, Italy and Iran as “dangerous communicable disease areas”.

This means that all arrivals from these places, including those that transit through them, will have to provide the authorities with their address and travel plan and be self-quarantined for 14 days.

“Thais and foreigners who came from these places will have to go through self-quarantine for 14 days at home or in a hotel room, where they have to report themselves to the authorities every day or officials will come to check on them,” health ministry spokesman Rungrueng Kitphati said.

Those that breached the quarantined will face 20,000 baht ($630) fine, Rungrueng said.

Many hospitals in Thailand are still waiting for masks. Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit questioned on Wednesday (March 4) why many hospitals have not yet received fresh supplies of protective face-masks.

He ordered the Public Health Ministry, Food and Drug Administration and Government Pharmaceutical Organisation to review distribution with the Department of Internal Trade to make sure all hospitals are adequately supplied.