Thailand to scrap quarantine for vaccinated visitors from Nov 1

[Molly Malone]

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Quarantine for fully vaccinated to be reduced to 7 days from Oct, 10 provinces to reopen on Nov 1

 

 

Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) decided on Monday (September 27th) to extend the nationwide State of Emergency to the end of November, but ease some of the partial lockdown measures effective October 1st, including shortening the quarantine period for those fully vaccinated to 7 days, and shortening the night-time curfew in the “dark red” provinces to 10pm – 4am for at least 15 days.

 

The curfew will be shortened by one hour, from currently 9pm – 4am. The CCSA also agreed to reduce the quarantine period for vaccinated travellers to 7 days, instead of 14. Those who do not have documents proving their vaccination will, however, have to go through 10-14 days of quarantine.

 

The CCSA also allowed the reopening of certain businesses, such as children’s nurseries, child development centres, libraries, museums, nail salons, tattoo parlours, spas, health centres, indoor sports arenas, cinemas and live music in restaurants.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/quarantine-for-fully-vaccinated-to-be-reduced-to-7-days-from-oct-10-provinces-to-reopen-on-nov-1/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-09-27

 

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Thank you Lord Buddha the GYMS WILL BE OPEN, I'm washing all my spandex knickers as I type this, we who care about living through the inevitably confusing HEADLINES to come, say thank you!

[malthebluff]

2 hours ago, Kadilo said:

Highly original …….this year

Where does it say this year 

[BusyB]

22 hours ago, Phoenix Rising said:

We'll whinge a whole lot less if they go rid of the coup leader and the other dinos and ex convicts in the government. A more incompetent bunch is hard to imagine led by the biggest little failure in Thailand.

Agreed, but even then plenty would whinge ;D

[jacko45k]

5 hours ago, Straight8 said:

Maybe even some titttie bars

Nope....unless you mean that barbers on the darkside with the cutie cutters.

[samtam]

22 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

I'm presuming that all inclusive restrictions might be honoured - lifting of mandated quarantine, ridiculous COE requirements and the scam which is COVID health insurance?

I expect they're working out the pros and cons of that "nice little earner" versus having gazillions of tourists pouring into Thailand. TAT will be on it, with their magic calculator. Money is the only motivator; healthcare and social welfare don't even feature in the calculation, it's merely a facilitator to shake the money tree.

[VBF]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

This is good news, but it is extremely misleading. A COE is still required, special insurance, a stay in an approved hotel, as well as a multitude of other requirements and hoops to jump over. Thailand will by no means be "open" to vaccinated tourists. 

 

By contrast, 70 other countries are welcoming tourists with open arms and gratitude, and no hoops other a double vaccination and a covid test. You just show up and get a warm "thanks for coming! "

 

Kind of bizarre here, that even when they try to improve, they usually get it wrong. 

Well summed up ????

I think what you're trying to say is "They could **** up a wet dream" ????

[KhaoYai]

23 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Pending Cabinet approval, Thailand will seek to buy 2.79 million doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines and 165,000 AstraZeneca shots from Spain and 400,000 AstraZeneca doses sourced from Hungary, a spokesperson said.

I've asked many times but nobody seems to know what's happened to the unmentionable Thai factory that is supposed to be producing the AZ vaccine.  Seems very strange that Thailand has a production facility and was hailed as the S.E. Asian AZ Hub but they are buying it elsewhere.  Baffled!

[maddermax]

But does the lifting of quarantine requirements also apply to residents returning to Thailand?

[Danderman123]

10 minutes ago, maddermax said:

But does the lifting of quarantine requirements also apply to residents returning to Thailand?

There is apparently no lifting of quarantine requirements on November 1.

[Danderman123]

13 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

I've asked many times but nobody seems to know what's happened to the unmentionable Thai factory that is supposed to be producing the AZ vaccine.  Seems very strange that Thailand has a production facility and was hailed as the S.E. Asian AZ Hub but they are buying it elsewhere.  Baffled!

Your question has been answered in the appropriate topic. 

[Danderman123]

59 minutes ago, bristolgeoff said:

Could be realistic nov i reckon dec is a better date i think.They will get the jabs oyt to everyone open the country and businesses is a start then tourist will  come back.

There is never a better day than today to let in tested, vaccinated tourists. 

[Rinrada]

7 minutes ago, maddermax said:

But does the lifting of quarantine requirements also apply to residents returning to Thailand?

Would imagine so.. Cant see them allowing short term tourists to avoid isolation while their upright law abiding long term residents with 1 year visas,retired or other with re entry stamps, having condos or houses wives,jobs or children,pink IDs with Tabien Baans...PLUS ..Thailands revered C19 Vaccine Passport....Certified Verified and Approved by their own Ministry of Health......but...can only hope..

[KhaoYai]

1 hour ago, HashBrownHarry said:

And why should it?

 

Everyone should have the required medical insurance.

You have to think about what the Grand Re-Opening is seeking to do - which to the best of my knowledge is save the Thai tourist industry.  To the best of my knowledge, the standard 'holiday insurance' that those who do get insurance buy, does not include cover for Covid. That leaves them having to either buy it as a bolt on extra, get a more expensive policy that covers Covid or buy the Thai cover from the official sources (in addition to their standard holiday cover).

 

So, in an ideal world, tourists will buy the correct cover but in the real world, people just want to go online, book their holiday and go.  Because of the current situation I believe most people will accept the vaccine requirement and be prepared to get themselves vaccinated if they haven't already but in my opinion, for 'real tourists' that's about all they will accept.

 

Put yourself in Dave & Cathy's place with their 2 kids - reading the glossy website, looking at the white sand beaches and lush palms - "Thailand it is then" says Dave and the kids dance a jig.  "But wait" says Cathy, "what's this?" Be fully vaccinated, apply for COE, buy insurance, book an approved hotel, get covid tests for all the family, stay in a limited area, put an 'App' on your phone................... "F that" says Dave, "Greece it is then". 

 

If they were still at all interested, did a little research and found out that most of the normal 'tourist' things and places they like to go are actually closed and they can't have a drink with their dinner - that would put an end to their Thai adventure.

 

People want to 'wash & go' - they don't want hassle, its their holiday and their are plenty of alternatives. The vast majority of tourists will not return until all restrictions, possibly with the exception of being fully vaccinated, are lifted.

 

It also has to be considered that Thailand is on quite a few country's Red Lists and is unlikely to be taken off until a lot more of the population is vaccinated.

Edited September 28, 2021 by KhaoYai

[KhaoYai]

11 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

Your question has been answered in the appropriate topic. 

Well if I'd seen that topic I wouldn't be asking.

[kiwikeith]

23 hours ago, ukrules said:

I will believe it when it happens, I'm going to be very surprised if this doesn't change before November.

 

This is the way they should be doing it as COVID is already well established inside Thailand.

 

Having active curfews and closures in force will only discourage visitors from coming.

There is one problem, to return to Nz you cannot come in without a MIQ booking, and now you have to register for a place, and you go into a draw/ ballot system, the reason for this system is people were using algorithms to cheat the system. 

 

Another reason for the unavailability of rooms is because they opened the trans tasman bubble thousands went to Aussie, and now they are stranded as the MIQs are booked out for 3 months, plus. 

 

Then other countries will have requirements for re entry, so entering LOS might be easy, but going home might be very costly. 

 

Sooner or later the world will have to open, and Covid-19 allowed to run it's natural course. 

Then the truth will surface, and the people of this world may be very angry if all of this jabbing was the wrong way to go, and serious side effects surface. 

[paul1804]

23 hours ago, WHansen said:

Great news, until tomorrow when it will be reversed

I was just thinking exactly that, tomorrow is another day !!!!!!

[kiwikeith]

7 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

Quite a rant, who's Dave and Cathy btw?

A very good rant, David and Cathy will be proud. 

[paul1804]

32 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

Your question has been answered in the appropriate topic. 

It was all a Mirage!!!

[ChomDo]

23 hours ago, WHansen said:

Great news, until tomorrow when it will be reversed

Yea this is really stupid to even say anything like that anymore really! I mean basically this is just one more wild guess and doesn't allow anybody to actually book flights to BKK until this plan is really in the books. It needs to be confirmed now and not in the end of Oct!

[Isaan sailor]

So they will order Pfizer vaccine?  Haven’t I read that before?  It’s late September, and I don’t believe the government has purchased and taken delivery of a single dose for the general population.

[Chiang Mai Will]

23 hours ago, WHansen said:

Great news, until tomorrow when it will be reversed

Yes, it will be good IF it does come about!

 

But I wonder what documentation we will need to prove our vaccination history will be required -- and whether Border Control can read numerous languages (some can't even read English)? (Arabic, Greek and Cyrillic will confound 'em!)

 

And will we still have to have medical insurance provided by a Thai insurance company -- and special visas for us non-Thais

 

And I hope that due to the influx of countless thousands (millions?) for Christmas and the New Year -- and this huge demand for airline seats -- that the price of air travel will come down to pre-Covid prices (I'm a dreamer!) -- of course there will be many more flights available to choose from!

 

Unfortunately, I will stay put in the UK for a while -- mother-in-law won't miss me -- our return flight vouchers are extended to October 2023 -- and I don't relish paying £2,000+ for an isolation hotel on returning to the UK (I wonder if it is £2,000+ per room or for each person?)!

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, maddermax said:

But does the lifting of quarantine requirements also apply to residents returning to Thailand?

I very much doubt differing rules will used. 

Edited September 28, 2021 by jacko45k
typo

[kiwikeith]

59 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

I've asked many times but nobody seems to know what's happened to the unmentionable Thai factory that is supposed to be producing the AZ vaccine.  Seems very strange that Thailand has a production facility and was hailed as the S.E. Asian AZ Hub but they are buying it elsewhere.  Baffled!

India caused a ingredients supply problem when Delta went mad, and apart from that, I would have a stab at it, maybe feuding between high so, and Chinese vaccine suppliers?? anyone got any other ideas?? 

 

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, KhaoYai said:

I've asked many times but nobody seems to know what's happened to the unmentionable Thai factory that is supposed to be producing the AZ vaccine.  Seems very strange that Thailand has a production facility and was hailed as the S.E. Asian AZ Hub but they are buying it elsewhere.  Baffled!

It is still producing the vaccine, but to what end we will never know as it is all secretive.  I think that there are production issues that have never been completely resolved and thus a lower amount than what was expected is being produced.  

[newnative]

22 hours ago, PizzaBoi said:

In 2019, 40 million foreign visitors entered Thailand. 10 million (25%) of those went to Phuket. So by those numbers this plan means little to nothing even if it does go ahead, because Phuket has already been "open" the last 3 months to international arrivals and almost no one came.

So far the Phuket Sandbox has attracted roughly 6,000 actual tourists (the rest were just people using the Sandbox to get back into Thailand for other reasons), that's 24,000 people a year, or 0.24% usual numbers. 0.24%! It's completely insignificant and means nothing to local businesses, hence why most of Phuket is still shut.

 

Why would other parts of Thailand be any different?

 

     Phuket was not really 'open'.  Few came because the requirements were both too many and too difficult.  Few will come to the rest of Thailand either until there is no quarantine and no curfew  anywhere and the only requirement is to be fully vaccinated.  

[geisha]

22 hours ago, freedomnow said:

..and what if a person gets pulled by immi in Swampy for too long a history in Thailand/not enough funds to support the trip" and made to go back to their home country like they used to..straight into pricey quarantine hell back home.

 

Wonder if they will still do the IDC routine with people now many countries have blocked inbound from Thailand by air....THAT is an interesting one... a person could end up in IDC if they could not front up quarantine hotel costs back home.

Well, I suppose THAT is the risk this person is willing to take . All countries take into consideration how much a “ tourist” needs to spend his holidays there. 

[newnative]

11 hours ago, cyril sneer said:

I don't think people would come even if they could just fly in like pre-covid

 

a lot of tourist areas have effectively died and will take years to recover

 

then you have would-be tourists that are no longer able to afford the holiday

   With apologies to Yogi Berra, if nobody's coming anyway why not make it easy for them?  Have just one requirement:  fully vaccinated.  

[geisha]

1 hour ago, Danderman123 said:

There is apparently no lifting of quarantine requirements on November 1.

Can you explain where you’ve seen that ?

[monty1412]

4 hours ago, androokery said:

No. Not 6000. That's a number picked out of the air. It's all a question of counting visitors vs "real tourists". The number of the latter can be 4996. Or 25004. We don't know. But TAT was way off the actual number even if they included all types of incoming people. Maybe by 300 percent. 

555 a 300% variance is within  acceptable TAT forecast variance.. once again they nailed it.. god there good 

 

[thailand49]

8 hours ago, Mike k said:

The ruling junta doesn't want to lift the alcohol ban 

I seriously don't think the puppet has a clue as to what to ban or not to ban unless his string is pulled and whether he received enough incentive to do so?