FOCUS: Thailand cautious over reopening to tourists from November

[webfact]

file photo

 

By Chananthorn Kamjan and Petchanet Pratruangkrai, KYODO NEWS

 

BANGKOK - Thailand is gearing up to reopen the country from November even as its high COVID-19 rate poses a dilemma for the government, which seeks to control the pandemic while mitigating its impact on the tourism-reliant economy.

 

Although Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced in mid-June that the country would fully open within four months, a daily infection caseload exceeding 10,000 has forced his government to settle for a partial reopening starting Nov. 1.

 

Addressing the nation about the reopening plan on Oct. 11, Prayut said fully vaccinated visitors from certain low-risk countries will be allowed to enter Thailand without quarantine from next month.

 

The list of eligible countries, including Britain, China, Germany, Singapore and the United States, will be gradually expanded from December.

 

The foreign visitors will be welcomed in designated places of 10 provinces, including the bustling capital Bangkok and the northern tourist hub of Chiang Mai, known for its diverse cultural and natural attractions.

 

Full story: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/10/3e537ce8bb47-focus-thailand-cautious-over-reopening-to-tourists-from-november.html

 

-- © Copyright KYODO NEWS 2021-10-14

 

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[tomyami]

 COE, nah that ill keep them out

Edited October 13, 2021 by tomyami

[RichardColeman]

From link : "The daily infection figure should be around 5,000 or less for reopening the country. But I understand that the economy needs to be quickly restored, so we have to find a balancing point to live with it," he said.

 

Pretty sure the Thai testing can be 'seasonally adjusted' to fit that line of thought

 

[AwwYesNice1]

8 minutes ago, tomyami said:

 COE, nah that ill keep them out

 

Maybe they will eliminate the COE as there is no way in hell they will able process the amount of request that come in.

 

 

[RichardColeman]

4 minutes ago, AwwYesNice1 said:

 

Maybe they will eliminate the COE as there is no way in hell they will able process the amount of request that come in.

 

 

and that should kill off the insurance lunacy - immigration processing 500,000 insurance documents at the airport

[RichardColeman]

25 minutes ago, tomyami said:

 COE, nah that ill keep them out

Whilst I take everything I read in The Sun with a grain of salt, this was on their webpage listing of countries open/closed to the UK today. Like to know where they got that from or what they know that everyone else does not

 

• Thailand - Approval needed to enter country (to be lifted next month)

 

Edited October 13, 2021 by RichardColeman

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, AwwYesNice1 said:

 

Maybe they will eliminate the COE as there is no way in hell they will able process the amount of request that come in.

 

 

They still have three weeks to ponder on this....

I suspect that by the time November 1 is here, or very soon thereafter, the COE nonsense will be lifted in accordance. 

Though, there is the hidden profit motive. 

 

A visa acts as a COE, does it not?

[ezzra]

Dear PM..Open or not thousands of Covid will continue to be, the problem is not with incoming tourists who would be fully axed anyway with PCR test to boot.. Covid is here to stay for the foreseeable future, your economy is fast going down the gurgle sir unless you will open the country... 

[stickyrice2000]

Why do I sense that Thailand will get worse with the COVID-19 situation?  Hope I am wrong.  I don’t think they are ready.

[bkk6060]

Although few, there have been some in the vaccinated Sandbox who have tested positive.

I bet they keep the insurance and dump the rest.  Wait and see,

[internationalism]

"The foreign visitors will be welcomed in designated places of 10 provinces, including the bustling capital Bangkok and the northern tourist hub of Chiang Mai, known for its diverse cultural and natural attractions"

 

this sounds as sandboxes, which suppose to come in October.

 

On immigration sub-forum @ubonjoestates, that there won't be any movement restriction.

 

I would think, they are still planning sandboxes, with insurance (that can be bought at the airport) and some simplified COE.

There would would be only a few thousands travellers per day. Easily to keep under controll 

Edited October 14, 2021 by internationalism

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

From link : "The daily infection figure should be around 5,000 or less for reopening the country. But I understand that the economy needs to be quickly restored, so we have to find a balancing point to live with it," he said.

 

Pretty sure the Thai testing can be 'seasonally adjusted' to fit that line of thought

 

The infection rate should be around 5,000 a day

The government says it's around 10,000 a day

The rural doctors association says it's still 20,000 a day...

Hmmmm...

 

[kelboy]

Wow just think of the queues at the airport, and one person test positive, good luck for the others. Can't quite remember but I think 4 people checked ALL my paperwork 4 weeks ago and that's all a social distancing Not.

4 people I mean 4 different times. 

[Tracyb]

2 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

 

A visa acts as a COE, does it not?

One would think that a Thai passport acts as a COE as well but………

[lujanit]

What will affect a person deciding whether to come or not will be if their country of origin requires them to quarantine on their return.  It is too much hassle with all the paperwork/tests needed to get into Thailand and then have to quarantine on entry on re-entry to their homeland.

[JonnyF]

5 hours ago, AwwYesNice1 said:

 

Maybe they will eliminate the COE as there is no way in hell they will able process the amount of request that come in.

 

 

I can just imagine the queues. It was bad enough before Covid when all they had to do was stamp the passport. They still often managed to turn that into over an hours wait before some scowling immigration official looked you up and down, read the passport back to front, stamped you in and pushed the passport back at you. 

 

Now with vaccine certificates, PCR tests, COE's, 2 metre social distancing etc. the queues will probably be spilling back out onto the runway if any serious numbers start to arrive. That will all be whilst wearing a mask (maybe also being sprayed by alcohol - Prayut style) having just worn one for 12+ hours on the place.

 

Thanks but No thanks - I'd be holidaying closer to home for a couple of years.

[smedly]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand is gearing up to reopen

is anyone else fed up listening to this ## every day

[smedly]

1 hour ago, kelboy said:

Wow just think of the queues at the airport, and one person test positive, good luck for the others.

not to mention the rest of the people on the plane who could also face quarantine 

Edited October 14, 2021 by smedly

[Cherrytreeview]

32 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

I can just imagine the queues. It was bad enough before Covid when all they had to do was stamp the passport. They still often managed to turn that into over an hours wait before some scowling immigration official looked you up and down, read the passport back to front, stamped you in and pushed the passport back at you. 

 

Now with vaccine certificates, PCR tests, COE's, 2 metre social distancing etc. the queues will probably be spilling back out onto the runway if any serious numbers start to arrive. That will all be whilst wearing a mask (maybe also being sprayed by alcohol - Prayut style) having just worn one for 12+ hours on the place.

 

Thanks but No thanks - I'd be holidaying closer to home for a couple of years.

Spot on.

My thoughts exactly.

One hour flight to London, multiple hour wait, then 12 hour flight to BKK.

Dehydrated and exhausted arriving 9am.

Then what?

Queues of the great unwashed, restrictions, processing and being herded to your destination like cattle.

Then incarcerated until your test result comes back, all the while stressing it's not positive.

 

[charmonman]

5 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

They still have three weeks to ponder on this....

I suspect that by the time November 1 is here, or very soon thereafter, the COE nonsense will be lifted in accordance. 

Though, there is the hidden profit motive. 

 

A visa acts as a COE, does it not?

No, a visa does not act as a COE. The COE is document that certifies you have met all the additional requirements for entry to Thailand such as, being vaccinated, having bought Covid-19 insurance, having booked an ASQ or SHA+ hotel. A visa covers none of that and it is possible for a tourist from certain countries to enter the country without a visa at all, though they will still need a COE. The COE is not really all that difficult in and of itself, though I certainly hope they scrap it when all this is behind us.

[Cake Monster]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

I can just imagine the queues. It was bad enough before Covid when all they had to do was stamp the passport. They still often managed to turn that into over an hours wait before some scowling immigration official looked you up and down, read the passport back to front, stamped you in and pushed the passport back at you. 

 

Now with vaccine certificates, PCR tests, COE's, 2 metre social distancing etc. the queues will probably be spilling back out onto the runway if any serious numbers start to arrive. That will all be whilst wearing a mask (maybe also being sprayed by alcohol - Prayut style) having just worn one for 12+ hours on the place.

 

Thanks but No thanks - I'd be holidaying closer to home for a couple of years.

And just imagine if only one person on a flight is C+

1 X C+ , and 400 into a Covid ASQ

[talahtnut]

We should be preparing in our homelands for whats coming next.

Travel to Thailand is risky in a changing world in turmoil.

Speak to a Thai before you book your ticket.