Contagious Illness Advisory: What to Do

What to do now

1. If you feel unwell, stay home and away from classes, events, and shared spaces.
2. Wash your hands often with soap and water, or use alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
3. Wear a mask if you must be around others while unwell or while recovering.
4. Tell the faculty office if you will miss class due to illness, so lecturers are informed.
5. Seek medical care if your symptoms are severe, get worse, or you are worried, rather than waiting it out.

If you feel unwell

• Rest at home and avoid contact with others as much as you can.
• Monitor your symptoms. Common signs of a contagious respiratory illness include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, and fatigue.
• Stay hydrated and rest. Most mild respiratory illness can be managed at home.
• Contact the Thammasat student health service or a doctor if you are unsure whether you need care, especially if you are an international student unfamiliar with local health services.
• Get tested if advised by a doctor or if required by current university or public health guidance, and follow the result and any isolation instructions you are given.

Protect yourself and others

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser when soap is not available.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow, not your hands.
• Wear a well-fitting mask in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor spaces, and always if you are unwell and cannot avoid being near others.
• Improve airflow indoors where you can: open windows, use fans, or hold gatherings outdoors.
• Keep your distance from others where practical, particularly from anyone who is coughing or appears unwell.
• Stay up to date with vaccines recommended by health authorities for the relevant illness.

If you test positive or are told to isolate

• Follow the isolation period and instructions given by your doctor or the relevant public health authority. Guidance can change between illnesses and outbreaks, so follow the current official instruction rather than an old rule of thumb.
• As a general principle used in recent public health guidance, you can return to normal activities once your symptoms have been improving and you have been free of fever (without fever-reducing medicine) for at least 24 hours. Confirm this against current official guidance for the specific illness, since requirements can differ.
• After returning to normal activities, continue extra precautions for several days: good hygiene, a mask in shared spaces, and keeping some distance from others.
• Inform the faculty office and your lecturers that you are isolating, so your absence is recorded and coursework arrangements can be made.
• Avoid shared kitchens, common rooms, and close contact with roommates or family while you are infectious, where possible.

On campus

• If you are well but a classmate or roommate is unwell, encourage them to stay home and seek care rather than pushing through classes.
• Practise good hand hygiene when using shared spaces, equipment, and door handles.
• Support good ventilation in shared rooms: open windows where possible.
• Follow any specific instructions issued by Thammasat University or the Faculty of Political Science during an active outbreak. Official university and Ministry of Public Health instructions always take priority over general guidance on this page.
• This page is written and maintained by students (BIRSA) for general information. It is not a substitute for medical advice or official university and public health instructions.

Useful contacts

• Thai Department of Disease Control hotline (health advice, disease information):1422
• Medical emergency (EMS / ambulance), for severe symptoms:1669
• Thammasat Tha Prachan campus student clinic (Virtual Clinic, 1st Floor, Student Activities Center, Building 21):0-2613-3961, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed public holidays
• TU Well-Being / Viva City Counselling Center (for stress or mental health support during illness or isolation):See Thammasat Office of International Affairs Well-Being Services page

Contact BIRSA

• birsa@tu.ac.th
• birstudentassociation@gmail.com
• Phone: 02-221-6111 ext. 3409
• Address: BIR, Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, 2 Prachan Road, Bangkok 10200
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