A group of Thai exchange students, who arrived in Tokyo on April 4^th en route to Thailand from the US, are to be further delayed after the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) decided to extend the ban on landing any international flights until April 18^th, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 outbreak by overseas arrivals.

The students, all part of the MPLC Thailand exchange programme, were asked, by their US sponsors, to return home before the scheduled end of their stay.

The students had expected to catch a flight out of Japan today, but could not because the CAAT extended the ban until April 18^th.  They are reportedly willing to enter mandatory quarantine at state-run facilities.

The Thai embassy in Tokyo has sent an official to meet the students and to provide them with cash allowances for necessities and a survival kit bag containing sanitizer gel and face masks.