It’s official: Thai govt approves plans to re-open to foreign tourists

[KhaoYai]

1 hour ago, KhaoYai said:

Ahhh so as I suspected, they are operating on their Lunar Schedule - 10 days = 11 nights/12 days.

The penny has finally dropped - now I understand why its 2564 in Thailand and not 2021.????

[elliss]

8 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Why are the antivax/vaccine refusal/believer squad being allowed to turn a thread about opening Thailand up into yet another argument about vaccines?

 

   Deal in facts ..

     Comes to mind .

    Good luck ..

        

[elliss]

4 minutes ago, polpott said:

Probably because he's transiting via the Middle East. I purchased a ticket for BKK Manchester in 2 weeks time transiting via Amsterdam. £300 plus £40 extra luggage. I know of others that have transited via Finland recently too.

 

    Hope , your flight , departs as per schedule....

[Wake Up]

1 hour ago, KhaoYai said:

 

Ahhh so as I suspected, they are operating on their Lunar Schedule - 10 days = 11 nights/12 days.

 

Edit: Now confirmed by the Thai Embassy London.

 

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/requirements-for-foreigners-travelling-to-thailand-during-covid-19-tra?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

My flight arrives at 11 pm so it will be 11 nights and 10 days. ????

[KhaoYai]

3 minutes ago, brain150 said:

 

Because it is all based on a Vaccine !!!

1. Its not at all - the 10 quarantine for example is not reliant on any vaccine.

2. There have been several threads arguing about vaccines - arguing about them here will change nothing. The Thai government clearly supports vaccines and is making much of its plans to open up, reliant on vaccination - full stop!

[VBF]

7 minutes ago, brain150 said:

 

Because it is all based on a Vaccine !!!

Correct, and at this stage in proceedings, vaccines are the biggest thing in the world when it comes to opening up what has been closed because of Covid.

Edited March 31, 2021 by VBF

[Bkk Brian]

1 hour ago, wensiensheng said:

But how would you stop tourists traveling elsewhere? Car/motorbike rental,  bus trips into Phangna, flights to bangkok? What’s to stop it?

 

additionally, since Thais will be able to travel in and out of Phuket, AFTER interacting with tourists on the island, why would you bother to stop the tourists traveling? Thai nationals will carry anything that’s available to be caught from tourists, into every nook and cranny of the country anyway.

I agree with what you're saying but there's problems and risks associated with any plan to open up, if the risks are minimized and justifiable then just like opening up any country its got to be done. 

[KhaoYai]

3 minutes ago, Wake Up said:

My flight arrives at 11 pm so it will be 11 nights and 10 days.

You hope ????.

 

Just remember that you don't leave until you are released. You think they'll be letting you out at a minute past midnight?

Edited March 31, 2021 by KhaoYai

[Topah]

So do I understand this right. They have to vaccinate almost 1 million people in Phuket tomorrow so the effective 2nd dose after 12 weeks will be on July 1st? Otherwise this wont work right? How they give the first dose for 1 million people in 1 day?

[polpott]

Just now, elliss said:

 

    Hope , your flight , departs as per schedule....

Checked yesterday. Currently all flights to Amsterdam and Finland appear to be departing on schedule. Even Middle Eastern flights are departing on shedule. Unfortunately they aren't flying on to the UK. Cancelled flights seem to be a thing of the past.

[KhaoYai]

3 minutes ago, VBF said:

Correct, and at this stage in proceedings, vaccines are the biggest thing in the world when it comes to opening up what has been closed because of Covid.

I agree with you but my point here is, the anti vax arguments are tiresome and will make no difference to Thailand's plans to open up.  If people don't want to abide by them, they'll either have to do quarantine or stay away.

[VBF]

1 minute ago, KhaoYai said:

I agree with you but my point here is, the anti vax arguments are tiresome and will make no difference to Thailand's plans to open up.  If people don't want to abide by them, they'll either have to do quarantine or stay away.

Absolutely!   Fortunately, in this, Thailand has done the sensible thing by making vaccination key to beginning a return to normality

Why it's almost as if somebody listened to the real experts.....Lawks a mussy. ????

 

Let the anti-vax Luddites take a walk to the edge of the world, and look over to prove it's flat!

That's about the only place they will be going.

[KhaoYai]

2 minutes ago, polpott said:

Even Middle Eastern flights are departing on shedule. Unfortunately they aren't flying on to the UK. Cancelled flights seem to be a thing of the past.

I'm hoping the UAE will be off the red list soon, I want to use my miles up - their vaccination programme is well advanced so hopefully they'll get the variants under control. Failing that, they are still flying in and out of Dublin (wink,wink).

[VBF]

3 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

I'm hoping the UAE will be off the red list soon, I want to use my miles up - their vaccination programme is well advanced so hopefully they'll get the variants under control. Failing that, they are still flying in and out of Dublin (wink,wink).

Me (very much) too!!

My feeling is that will happen when the UK reviews the figures in May

[polpott]

Just now, KhaoYai said:

I'm hoping the UAE will be off the red list soon, I want to use my miles up - their vaccination programme is well advanced so hopefully they'll get the variants under control. Failing that, they are still flying in and out of Dublin (wink,wink).

New cases is still high in UAE. More than 2000 new cases today (slight uptick) in a population of 10 million. UK 4000 today in a population of 67 million. UK deaths down firmly into double figures now.

 

Dublin it is.

[VBF]

3 minutes ago, polpott said:

New cases is still high in UAE. More than 2000 new cases today (slight uptick) in a population of 10 million. UK 4000 today in a population of 67 million. UK deaths down firmly into double figures now.

 

Dublin it is.

Only flaw in that is that officially you would still have to do hotel quarantine if you travelled from Dublin to England, having recently passed through UAE.

Edited March 31, 2021 by VBF

[KhaoYai]

19 minutes ago, VBF said:

Let the anti-vax Luddites take a walk to the edge of the world, and look over to prove it's flat!

Nutters the lot of them.  My daughter's beauty salon is due to open again on 12 April (fingers crossed). One of her client's called to book an appointment and during the conversation asked her if she would be having her vaccine. They warned her against it because apparently 'they put a micro chip in your arm'. ????????????

Edited March 31, 2021 by KhaoYai

[polpott]

Just now, VBF said:

Only flaw in that is that officially you would still have to do hotel quarantine if you travelled from Dublin to England, having recently passed through UAE>

Correct. Flying via Amsterdam, I need to do 10 days quarantine at home, reduced to 5 days if I go for the "test and Release" option.

[VBF]

2 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Nutters the lot of them.  My daughter's beauty salon is due to open again on 12 April (fingers crossed). One of her client's called to book an appointment and during the converstation asked her if she would be having her vaccine. They warned her against it because apparently 'they put a micro chip in your arm'. ????????????

Ah but it is a 5G one! ????

[KhaoYai]

2 minutes ago, VBF said:

Only flaw in that is that officially you would still have to do hotel quarantine if you travelled from Dublin to England, having recently passed through UAE.

Hence the wink wink. Note, no passport is required to travel between the republic and the UK by ferry.

 

I would not advise anyone to break the rules but the UK's rules are a little hard to work out.  You must quarantine if you've been in or passed through a red list country within 10 days. You may not have but they fail to understand how airport hubs work - you might have been sat next to someone who has - if that makes sense.

[KhaoYai]

We'll have to wait and see how Thailand's plans pan out - vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers travelling on the same flight could cause problems down the line. This is one of the reasons I fully support those airlines planning a no vaccine, no flight policy.

[VBF]

4 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Hence the wink wink. Note, no passport is required to travel between the republic and the UK by ferry.

 

I would not advise anyone to break the rules but the UK's rules are a little hard to work out.  You must quarantine if you've been in or passed through a red list country within 10 days. You may not have but they fail to understand how airport hubs work - you might have been sat next to someone who has - if that makes sense.

I get it - it's that lack of comprehension that  makes a mockery of the rules.  But I didn't know what your first sentence mentioned... but one would never consider.....????

[SiSePuede419]

July 1. ????

 

I don't visit THAILAND in order to sit in a hotel room watching TV for a week.

[VBF]

4 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

We'll have to wait and see how Thailand's plans pan out - vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers travelling on the same flight could cause problems down the line. This is one of the reasons I fully support those airlines planning a no vaccine, no flight policy.

Well you responded to my comment about "anti-vax Luddites" earlier. Again it makes sense, don't you agree?

[KhaoYai]

1 minute ago, VBF said:

I get it - it's that lack of comprehension that  makes a mockery of the rules.  But I didn't know what your first sentence mentioned... but one would never consider...

Well its one of the UK's worst kept secrets. A mate of mine's brother made millions a few years ago when he floated his company. He became a tax exile but soon found that he could use the 'back door' into the UK and nobody knew he was here.  So after a few months Marlin fishing things returned to normal for him.

[stigar]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

You are in luck. one provinces mentioned in the 7 day quarantine for vaccinated  is Koh Samui. in addition some places will not have quarantine after July 1st.  I know Phuket was one mentioned, I am sure Kho Samui will also want to be one , if it already is not. 

The embassy that serves my area (Washington DC) said that the would also accept insurance from your own country that covers you in Thailand, 

We have Blue Cross Blue shied and someone else we know who also has BCBS  said, that the embays has already accepted their insurance. We have filed but have not heard yet.

But even if they dont. A three month insurance certificate from a Thai provider is very inexpensive, I think about $200.   

Im in qarantene in bangkok now.In my country not possible to buy covid-incurance so i bougth it from a thai company.1800 bath for 30 days.

The hotel im staying in is wery good service and exelent food.Costs 31900 bath for quarantene.3 meals a day..free DTAC calls for the time here.We comunicate thru LINE app.If i need something they go an buy it for me in 7/11.After 5 days and my covidtest is ok im allowed to go outside 2 times a day in the hotelarea.I have to measure my temperature 2 times a day and send it to another app they installed in my phone.So far im wery satisfied aboutg my stay here.

[VBF]

2 minutes ago, stigar said:

Im in qarantene in bangkok now.In my country not possible to buy covid-incurance so i bougth it from a thai company.1800 bath for 30 days.

The hotel im staying in is wery good service and exelent food.Costs 31900 bath for quarantene.3 meals a day..free DTAC calls for the time here.We comunicate thru LINE app.If i need something they go an buy it for me in 7/11.After 5 days and my covidtest is ok im allowed to go outside 2 times a day in the hotelarea.I have to measure my temperature 2 times a day and send it to another app they installed in my phone.So far im wery satisfied aboutg my stay here.

Are you a tourist, or do you live in Thailand and are returning?

[stigar]

3 minutes ago, VBF said:

Are you a tourist, or do you live in Thailand and are returning?

im here as a tourist.Get 45 days visa exsemption from the embassy.I will extend my visa here for 2 more months i think.

[lkv]

8 minutes ago, stigar said:

.So far im wery satisfied aboutg my stay here.

 

Stockholm syndrome.

[KhaoYai]

17 minutes ago, VBF said:

But I didn't know what your first sentence mentioned... but one would never consider.....

I should clarify that a little - I don't think that a passport is required between the UK and the Republic if travelling by ferry as its part of the 'common travel area'.  One thing I am certain of is that there is no border between the Republic and the North and definitely no passport required on ferries between Belfast and the mainland.  You can be stopped and asked for ID however but in several trips to Belfast, I never was.