By Thammarat Thadaphrom

   

BANGKOK (NNT) - The minister of public health has unveiled preliminary criteria for quarantine-free travel that will be applied to tourists from low-risk countries who arrive in Thailand from November 1 onward, saying that the visitors will be able to travel freely after they produce a negative result from an RT-PCR Covid test taken on arrival.

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul said the public health ministry will respond to the prime minister’s announcement of Thailand’s reopening to tourists from low-risk countries on November 1, and produce measures and mechanisms that will enable the prime minister’s policy to be realized.

 

Mr. Anutin explained that if possible, he did not want to limit arriving tourists to only the citizens of 10 selected countries and due consideration will be given over this subject, as well as on the issue of whether the visitors will need to spend a night in the city of entry to wait for their RT-PCR test result.

 

The minister said he expects the COVID-19 situation to be largely controllable as vaccination coverage has increased significantly and various public health measures have been implemented. The health ministry will devise more disease control measures that are safe and beneficial to the public.

 

According to the minister, visitors will need to present evidence of full inoculation against COVID-19 as well as a pre-departure test result for COVID-19.

 

They will need to take an RT-PCR test upon arrival in Thailand and must spend the first night at an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facility or an authorized hotel to wait for the test result.

 

The visitors will need to cover expenses incurred from these requirements. Once a negative result is confirmed, a visitor may then travel anywhere in Thailand.

 

Discover Cigna’s range of health insurance solutions created for expats and local nationals living in Thailand - click to view

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-10-14

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

`The  real estate "Doctor" in action.

Just because someone has been fully vaccinated does not mean they cannot catch and pass on the virus to others .

They will need to take an RT-PCR test upon arrival in Thailand and must spend the first night at an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facility or an authorized hotel to wait for the test result.

 

The visitors will need to cover expenses incurred from these requirements. Once a negative result is confirmed, a visitor may then travel anywhere in Thailand.

 

I can already see the first travellers getting mental after having a "positive" test in LOS.

So I presume you have to book this before arriving. It’s getting ridiculous 

6 minutes ago, webfact said:

They will need to take an RT-PCR test upon arrival in Thailand and must spend the first night at an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facility or an authorized hotel to wait for the test result.

 

The visitors will need to cover expenses incurred from these requirements. Once a negative result is confirmed, a visitor may then travel anywhere in Thailand.

 

How will these expenses be collected?

 

This is an improvement but won't satisfy those who want the pre-COVID "experience"*.

 

COVID $100,000 insurance? CoE?

 

 

welcome to thailand!

 

now hold still while i jam this q-tip 10cm into your head.

 

fugdat.

1 minute ago, mtls2005 said:

 

How will these expenses be collected?

 

This is an improvement but won't satisfy those who want the pre-COVID "experience"*.

 

COVID $100,000 insurance? CoE?

 

 

they already have a system for that.. COE 

 

which will likely now just require upfront payment for the pcr test, 1 nights ASQ and insurance (in case you test positive).

 

so same old same old.

 

its a step in the right direction, but not much of one unfortunately and i think unlikely to move the needle much.

 

 

Just wondering if the pcr test results will be manipulated so these poor tourists will end up stuck in jail for another 2 weeks before being released. 

Dissent in the ranks again, this is not what Prayut said in his speech:

 

"All that visitors will need do is to show that they are COVID-free at their time of travel with an RT-PCR test undertaken before they leave their home country, and do a test in Thailand, after which they will be free to move around Thailand in the same way that any Thai citizen can do."

 

 

37 minutes ago, keith101 said:

Just because someone has been fully vaccinated does not mean they cannot catch and pass on the virus to others .

Give it a break, we all know this. We must move on. You have to move on. The world is moving on. Or stay under your bed. 

I would prefer to have 7 nights relaxing on the beach at sha+ hotel in pattaya sandbox, which I can chose and pay from around 500b per night with the total 3500b (that are prices from phuket, but I would imagine pattaya can be even cheaper), than be put into ASQ for 3500b per night (or two, if the first test is inconclusive).

I would think that also would be priorities for the majority of tourists - get into their hotel strait from the airport, without an additional cost of an expensive hotel and wasted one day of their holiday. That would be an exactly wasted day

46 minutes ago, Changoverandout said:

So I presume you have to book this before arriving. It’s getting ridiculous 

And you won't know the full details until Oct. 29th or 30th...

 

I don't see airports being very busy the first November week, certainly not the International Arrivals sections.

With the thousands of tourists arriving it would be impossible  to administer all the RT-PCR tests without a days stay . 

Definitely a step in the right direction IMO

58 minutes ago, webfact said:

According to the minister, visitors will need to present evidence of full inoculation against COVID-19 as well as a pre-departure test result for COVID-19.

 

They will need to take an RT-PCR test upon arrival in Thailand and must spend the first night at an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facility or an authorized hotel to wait for the test result.

Quarantine free? This looks like the quarantine period is being reduced to one or two days, depending on the flight arrival time in Thailand.

38 minutes ago, shady86 said:

Just wondering if the pcr test results will be manipulated so these poor tourists will end up stuck in jail for another 2 weeks before being released. 

And... imagine a whole family... with children. Even better. ????

 

"Enjoy your holiday in the land of smiles"

 

Anyway... We still have 2 weeks. Plenty of time for plenty of gvt agencies and other officials to add their own rules etc.

 

We all knew it would be... complicated.

Listen mate, even if they dropped the COE and mad insurance demands, the pcr before flying, a days quarantine and and a second pcr test is still way too much hassle and risk for the average Joe tourist. They ain't coming with this continuing nonsense.

 

As above say, it's a step in the right direction, but its a diagonal step forwards and not a straight forwards one

More flip-flopping than a contaminated carp out of water gasping for oxygen.

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

Give it a break, we all know this. We must move on. You have to move on. The world is moving on. Or stay under your bed. 

Yes, the world has moved on.

Plenty of places that UK citizens can holiday without this arrival nonsense.

Feel free to get on with your life as a performing seal jumping through hoops for Thailand.

 

Well, no families will come here from the UK as most children there are not vaccinated! 

 

 

1 hour ago, keith101 said:

Just because someone has been fully vaccinated does not mean they cannot catch and pass on the virus to others .

That is why they do the covid test.

2 hours ago, keith101 said:

Just because someone has been fully vaccinated does not mean they cannot catch and pass on the virus to others .

Yes we know! As with the flu vacine. As with most vaccines. Vaccination mitigates against the risk of getting covid, the risk of being hospitalised, getting seriously ill and dieing from covid. It's medical science not magic.

24 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

Well, no families will come here from the UK as most children there are not vaccinated! 

 

 

A blessing in disguise then.

The UK press is saying "Don't go to Thailand the bars are closed." So good luck with the "reopening".

As long as you keep any type of quarantine, few tourists will come. There might be some kind of arrival peak at first for all the people who wanted to come back to Thailand and were eagerly waiting for November without restrictions. But actual foreign tourists? Not so much... 

 

It is just to save face and say: "we did it, we reopened Thailand!" but it won't help local businesses much and the situation will keep worsening. 

 

So, yeah, step in the right direction, but more of a baby step...

Covid is endemic amongst the Thai population, largely untested and many vaccinated with Sinovac ineffective against latest virus strains.

 

The trickle of tourists who do arrive are at more risk locally than Thais are from a double MRNA vaccinated and pre flight tested tourists.

 

The need for further testing and 1 days quarantine seems incredibly xenophobic or part of a master plan to shift the focus of  blame for an escalating Covid situation on arriving foreigners. 

 

Until COE and insurance requirements are removed I don't believe it will move the needle on tourists coming.

In the absence of any deadly new variants, the tourists aren't the problem. The trouble will start when they begin seriously lifting restrictions on social activities, like allowing bars to open again, which is pretty much a must if they want to attract a lot of people to spend a lot of money. Loss of inhibitions from drinking, together with shouting and singing in close proximity to others, possibly in an enclosed indoor space, and you have the perfect environment for the virus to spread. Now all those young(ish), fully vaccinated partygoers and staff may not be at much risk, but the vaccines don't stop them from transmitting the virus to unvacinated friends and family, resulting in rising cases of serious illness and, sooner or later, deaths from Covid. Prayut and Anutin are acting like executioners towards their own most vulnerable citizens, when it should be their top priority to protect them, but I guess there's no serious money to be made in that malarky so why bother, lol.

And how about that COE does wanna have to do that before he arrives