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Thailand Announces It Will Begin Dropping Quarantine For Tourists

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Last night, the Prime Minister of Thailand Prayuth Chan-o-cha revealed his country's plans to allow travelers from some countries to be able to enter the country without having to quarantine upon their arrival. The news is bound to be celebrated by travelers, as the country's previous entry requirements and mandatory hotel quarantine have long been cited as a reason why so few travelers have returned to the Land of Smiles since the pandemic began around 18 months ago.

phi phi viewpoint

Famed for its stunning islands, unforgettable nightlife and some of the world's top food dishes, Thailand is the very definition a must-visit destination for any travelers heading to South East Asia. Here's a closer look at their plans to reopen without quarantine, and what the current Covid-19 situation is like in the country.

koh lanta lighthouse

Thailand To Remove Quarantine – Information For Travelers

For the first half of the pandemic or so, it looked as though Thailand had it all figured out and would be among the first major tourist destinations to fully reopen. However, the turn of the new year brought increased case numbers to the country. A result of the combination of both the rapid spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant and a slow vaccine rollout saw Thailand regularly registering in excess of over 20,000 in the month of August, its worst period of the pandemic so far.

buddhist hindu statue thailand

However, the number of cases of Covid-19 in Thailand now appears to well and truly be on the better side of the curve. The country is now registering an average of just 10,000 daily cases, and vaccination rates have increased, with around 50% of the population having received at least one dose of the vaccine and a third of the population fully vaccinated. The country is now in a position where it can safely allow tourists to enter in greater numbers – and that's exactly what they're planning to do.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha announced plans to reopen the country without quarantine for vaccinated travelers from a select group of countries. Whilst there is yet to be more concrete announcements made about these plans, countries listed by the Prime Minister that the new rule would apply to include the US, UK, Germany, Singapore and China, adding that the full list would be at least 10 “low-risk” countries.

krabi koh poda

The Prime Minister told the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) and the Public Health Ministry to consider the reopening without quarantine from November 1st. He also revealed that travelers hoping to enter without needing to quarantine would need to take a PCR test in their own countries, as well as once they arrive in Thailand. Prayut also stated that the quarantine-free travel list would be expanded on December 1st to include more low-risk countries.

The news is bound to be welcomed by both travelers and locals alike. A nation that depends on tourism, Thailand has struggled throughout the pandemic, with schemes designed to attract foreign tourists such as the Phuket Sandbox only managing to attract 46,000 international travelers since it was launched on July 1st. With quarantine proving to be a sticking point for many, this news could give Thai tourism the kick-start it needs.

Another factor for the lack of tourists could plausibly be the restrictions in the country. At present, bars and restaurants are not legally allowed to serve alcohol – leaving many tourists to feel they are being shortchanged with their experience of Thailand. However, this is set to change too, with the Prime Minister also revealing that the alcohol ban and closure of entertainment venues could be overturned by December 1st. More details from yesterday's announcements are expected to be released in the coming days.

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Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.


Christian

Tuesday 12th of October 2021

The Thai governments is living in Lalaland. How many times did they change their Covid restrictions with the hope of attracting tourism? This only adds to the uncertainty, and tourists don't like uncertainty when planing a vacation and booking a flight ticket or hotel rooms. Why can't they admit to their failures? With all this back and forth, flip and flop, is Thailand better off than Mexico? Obviously not.

Leonardo

Tuesday 12th of October 2021

And again "selected few countries"... Proving the decision is not based on technical data focused.on health safety.. But how much a tourist can spend in the country...

max

Tuesday 12th of October 2021

are you living on the moon? the problem with thailand is the COE,3xPCR and sha hotel

EdwardV

Tuesday 12th of October 2021

To be fair people have been able to travel quarantine free since July, only you had to do so through the restrictive Phuket sandbox scheme. This new plan will allow anyone to travel anywhere in Thailand after getting a clear test upon arrival. A huge improvement to be sure. That said, as pointed out in the article they still have a night time curfew in place and don't serve alcohol. Keep in mind bars, clubs and entertainment businesses are still closed too. The plan is to open them come December 1, but that's not set in stone yet. I wouldn't plan on it taking effect everywhere at once either. The details are not out yet, but expect a COE to still be required (on line now), along with a requirement for Covid travel insurance and a pre flight and post flight PCR test. That last one will mean you need to stay in your hotel room until given the clear result (said to take only a half day or so). Personally I'm planning on the end of December, too much has been closed for too long. Need to give it a little time to reopen first.

Karl

Tuesday 12th of October 2021

@EdwardV, Doesn't happen often that there's meaningful comments under articles. You but wrapped it all up perfectly. Thailand is on a great way to reopening fully and, I'm not gonna lie, I'm getting some major FOMO.

Thinking of going in about two weeks, entering Phuket for a week, then Bangkok, etc. Not a big alcohol drinker anyway!

Kashlee Kucheran

Tuesday 12th of October 2021

Well said and good plan

Mr sexy

Tuesday 12th of October 2021

Why China?

Leoo

Thursday 14th of October 2021

@Mr sexy, Money. But they say it's $cience.

Karl

Tuesday 12th of October 2021

@Mr sexy, Why not? 😂