Thailand reopening roadmap goes ahead amid COVID-19 vaccine rollout

[webfact]

 

Phuket will be the first to lift quarantine for vaccinated foreign tourists from July onwards, followed by at least five other destinations from October

 

TAT Newsroom

 

Bangkok  – The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) roadmap to reopen six major tourist provinces – Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (Ko Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai – to foreign tourists who have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine is going ahead as scheduled in line with the country’s COVID-19 vaccination timeline.

 

Phuket will be the first destination to lift quarantine requirements for vaccinated foreign tourists under the ‘Phuket Sandbox’ programme, starting from 1 July, 2021. Tourists will be required to spend the first seven days on the island, before travelling to other Thai destinations.

 

In preparation to welcome vaccinated foreign tourists, authorities are working on vaccination programme to safely achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 for 70% of Phuket’s population, including residents, workers in tourism-related businesses, and migrant workers.

 

Nationwide, the government is striving to efficiently administer the COVID-19 situation and acquire additional vaccines to reach the target of 100 million doses to vaccinate 50 million people across Thailand by the end of the year.

 

Thailand started the preliminary vaccination programme in late February with the first 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Sinovac and 117,000 doses from AstraZeneca. The inoculation project continued with 800,000 more doses of Sinovac vaccine in March and one million more in April.

 

Bangkok, Phuket, Chon Buri which includes Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Surat Thani which includes Ko Samui, Ko Phangan and Ko Tao, as well as eight other high-risk provinces were being prioritised in the rollout of the first vaccine doses.

 

Until today, some 1.47 million people in Thailand have been vaccinated – with one or both doses. Meanwhile, the country’s mass vaccination rollout is scheduled to begin in June when the first batch of six million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, to be produced locally by Siam Bioscience, will be delivered. The amount will increase to 10 million doses a month between July and November, and the last batch of five million doses in December.

 

In addition to 63 million doses (61 million from AstraZeneca and two million from Sinovac), the government is in the process of acquiring 37 million more doses of vaccine to be delivered within this year. This may include 5-10 million doses each from Pfizer, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson and Sinovac, as well as from Moderna, Sinopharm and Bharat.

 

According to the government, all people in Thailand, regardless of nationality, are eligible to receive the vaccine and can register for the vaccination programme via the Mor Prom (“Doctors Ready”) Line official account, or at hospitals and health promotion hospitals nationwide.

 

Registration starts on 1 May, 2021, and the vaccination starts on 7 June, 2021, for the priority group, comprising people aged 60 or older and those with seven chronic diseases: lung disease, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Other groups or people aged 18-59 can register in July 2021, and the vaccination starts in August 2021.

The government expects the nationwide vaccine rollout to complete within four to seven months, or between September and December, 2021.

 

With the vaccination programme going ahead as planned, Thailand’s reopening roadmap will also go ahead as scheduled. Apart from Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (Ko Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai, other destinations in the reopening pipeline include Bangkok, Phetchaburi, and Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin).

 

Source: https://www.tatnews.org/2021/05/thailand-reopening-roadmap-goes-ahead-amid-covid-19-vaccine-rollout/

 

[Swimfan]

2000 positive cases a day and talking about opening the country. 
who is going to come ? 
Are they still counting on the return of the high spend Indians and Chinese. 

[Albert Zweistein]

Welcome to rainy Thailand. So NO MORE quarantine at all when vaccinated ?

[Fromas]

By now it should be clear to all that TAT's credibility is in TATters.

[RichardColeman]

Personally I think Thailand should be concentrating on opening up un-quarantine vaccinated tourism for those from Europe and USA and Aus/NZ for end of year only.

 

India will be off all travel lists till next year I think, China won't come I think until they have seen how Thailand's 'big' opening goes. Africa is out, South America is out. 

 

If their plan is reliant on China and India for GDP survival, then the panel needs sacking

 

 

[madmen]

Yesterday thread said Thailand was opening 2022 but now Phuket is still on? I need to book a ticket but to bloody scared 

Edited May 2, 2021 by madmen

[ukrules]

This is NOT going to happen, not a chance!

[madmen]

5 minutes ago, ukrules said:

This is NOT going to happen, not a chance!

Tend to agree but it hasn't been officially cancelled. I believe the PM signed off on it 

[ukrules]

5 minutes ago, madmen said:

Tend to agree but it hasn't been officially cancelled. I believe the PM signed off on it 

 

Backpedalling is something of an art form here, and they're very good at it due to so much practice.

[mikebell]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

the government is in the process of a

survey to decide which vaccines offer the most commissions.

[zzzzz]

Because you have indicated in the Covid-19 Vaccine Interest Survey that you wanted to be notified whenever the vaccine is available at MedPark, we wanted you to be the first to know that MedPark's Covid-19 Vaccine, allocated by the Thai government for all Thais aged 18 and above, is now available for registration.   If you are a Thai citizen who is 18 years old or above, you can register and book your time slot using the link Medpark.hospital/Covid19VaccinePriority    Please note that you can reschedule or cancel anytime by simply notifying us through this email or through our omni-channel contact center.   Unfortunately, the vaccine is not yet available for expats and foreigners at this time.

[internationalism]

so they have wasted thousands of vax in the touristy areas, not only phuket, but also samui, while there was still the second wave in bang kae and pathumthani markers and strait after the third wave starting at thonglor.

By wrongly allocating those shots now thousands of health workers are exposed and have to self isolate or do quarantine. Hospitals are overstretched and some are closing all together.

 

yet TAT doesn't seem to care, what is happening within their country

[Deli]

IF there will be an opening on July 1st, I would be one of the people working in tourism, being in touch with visitors. As a foreigner actually I am not able to get any vax ( and would never accept any SIno Syrup ) on time. And I'm not the only one. Apart from that, what happens to all the migrant workers who made the tourism business running ?

Guys, this won't work.

[smedly]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

In preparation to welcome vaccinated foreign tourists, authorities are working on vaccination programme to safely achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 for 70% of Phuket’s population, including residents, workers in tourism-related businesses, and migrant workers.

 

while hospitals are closing because staff have not been vaccinated 

 

idiots

[GreasyFingers]

You only needed to look at the source.

Source: https://www.tatnews.org/2021/05/thailand-reopening-roadmap-goes-ahead-amid-covid-19-vaccine-rollout/

[Surelynot]

37 minutes ago, smedly said:

 

while hospitals are closing because staff have not been vaccinated 

 

idiots

You are forgetting the upside........their football team is now vaccinated.....

[Caldera]

Let's see. I think they will make a last-minute u-turn, unless the situation improves dramatically.

[Bkktodd]

8 hours ago, Albert Zweistein said:

Welcome to rainy Thailand. So NO MORE quarantine at all when vaccinated ?

They just killed any reopening with a 15 day quarantine for vaccinated.  7 day was acceptable.....I guess the EU and ither counties will enjoy some needed revonue 

[Mr Meeseeks]

3 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

Ok So Now Im really confused....but in thainess terms, seems the limit is approaching as to what the government wants, and locals and businesses want

 

A kettle about to boil over?...Can you imagine if all thais snapped at the same time, Ive seen one do it and it will put the fear of Buddha into your soul!

 

Years and years of pent up emotions....walking ticking thai time bombs....And I thought the constant visa rules were hard enough to keep track of...

 

Think each and every person in this world got a life lesson of things we take for granted and how we depend on one another, directly or otherwise........

 

Judge not a man during the good times but during the bad as you will see the true person.....

Get the popcorn ready, Thailand is glorious theatre at the best of times, the next few months will be off the charts. 

[edwardandtubs]

8 hours ago, Swimfan said:

2000 positive cases a day and talking about opening the country. 
who is going to come ? 
Are they still counting on the return of the high spend Indians and Chinese. 

Vaccinated people are going to come of course. Do you think a healthy vaccinated young person from the UK gives a damn about 2,000 cases?

[Mr Meeseeks]

Just now, edwardandtubs said:

Vaccinated people are going to come of course. Do you think a healthy vaccinated young person from the UK gives a damn about 2,000 cases?

Hardly anyone will travel here for a good few years. 

 

Young people? It's going to be much more expensive to travel from now on and young people don't have that disposable income any more. Certainly not during a global recession.

 

We won't see mass air travel for a while yet either. 

[Swimfan]

57 minutes ago, edwardandtubs said:

Vaccinated people are going to come of course. Do you think a healthy vaccinated young person from the UK gives a damn about 2,000 cases?

Have you not noticed they  have reinstated full quarantine even for vaccinated people. 
vaccinated people can still catch and pass on the virus. Though at probably much lower levels than the unvaccinated 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Swimfan

[Burma Bill]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

(TAT) roadmap to reopen six major tourist provinces

 

[Bradmeister]

6 hours ago, zzzzz said:

Because you have indicated in the Covid-19 Vaccine Interest Survey that you wanted to be notified whenever the vaccine is available at MedPark, we wanted you to be the first to know that MedPark's Covid-19 Vaccine, allocated by the Thai government for all Thais aged 18 and above, is now available for registration.   If you are a Thai citizen who is 18 years old or above, you can register and book your time slot using the link Medpark.hospital/Covid19VaccinePriority    Please note that you can reschedule or cancel anytime by simply notifying us through this email or through our omni-channel contact center.   Unfortunately, the vaccine is not yet available for expats and foreigners at this time.

So, we will still employ Discrimination based on race and origin. Disgusting

[edwardandtubs]

1 hour ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Hardly anyone will travel here for a good few years. 

 

Young people? It's going to be much more expensive to travel from now on and young people don't have that disposable income any more. Certainly not during a global recession.

 

We won't see mass air travel for a while yet either. 

By young people I mean the under 60s i.e. those who wouldn't have much to worry about if they were vaccinated and healthy. All the evidence suggests that these people have much higher disposable income because they've being receiving their full salary but have been unable to spend it. They haven't had a holiday in over a year and they're raring to go.

Edited May 3, 2021 by edwardandtubs

[madmen]

1 hour ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Hardly anyone will travel here for a good few years. 

 

Young people? It's going to be much more expensive to travel from now on and young people don't have that disposable income any more. Certainly not during a global recession.

 

We won't see mass air travel for a while yet either. 

How will it be more expensive to travel from now on? Less people and same amount of hotels = big discounts . Not rocket science. 

I am currently looking at flights from oz which by the way has locked borders and Cathay pacific is still cheaper than its ever been. 

Edited May 3, 2021 by madmen

[edwardandtubs]

23 minutes ago, Swimfan said:

Have you not noticed they  have reinstated full quarantine even for vaccinated people. 
vaccinated people can still catch and pass on the virus. Though at probably much lower levels than the unvaccinated 

Yes I know that we're talking about what happens when the quarantine requirement for vaccinated people ends.

[Mr Meeseeks]

Just now, madmen said:

How will it be more expensive to travel from now on? Less people and same amount of hotels. Not rocket science. 

I am currently looking at flights from oz which by the way has locked borders and Cathay pacific is still cheaper than its ever been. 

It's simple economics. People are in more debt, have less money and airlines have been ramping up debt for 18 months now. 

 

You can't leave Australia on a Cathay Pacific flight, so no wonder it has to be cheap, once you can leave watch the price double or triple from here.

[edwardandtubs]

Just now, Mr Meeseeks said:

It's simple economics. People are in more debt, have less money and airlines have been ramping up debt for 18 months now. 

 

You can't leave Australia on a Cathay Pacific flight, so no wonder it has to be cheap, once you can leave watch the price double or triple from here.

Governments are in more debt but people are not in more debt because they've been saving their money for the past year. Other countries are not in the same situation as Thailand where the government basically did nothing to help people.

[DaLa]

30 minutes ago, Swimfan said:

Have you not noticed they  have reinstated full quarantine even for vaccinated people. 
vaccinated people can still catch and pass on the virus. Though at probably much lower levels than the unvaccinated 

Yes, I thought that was the case too. However the announcement  above and plan is vaccinated travellers will not have to quarantine. They will have to stay on Phuket for 7 days and then will be able to travel onwards.

 

This will work for both tourists and ex-pats wishing to return without the present hassle, although there is no mention of all the other requirements (Covid insurance for example).

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by DaLa
Misspelt word.