Picture: Thai Rath

 

DPM and Health Minister of Thailand Anutin Charnvirakul assured the Thai media that the government/CCSA had not shut down the country to foreign travellers. 

 

He told Thai Rath that it was only a temporary suspension of new applications to visit from now until January 4th.

 

When that day comes there will be a reassessment of the state of spread and situation surrounding the Omicron variant.

 

Thai Rath reported that 200,000 tourists were in the system with 110,000 of those approved and 90,000 waiting for approval. 

 

Anutin confirmed that they could all come but must take two RT-PCR tests on days one and seven of their visit.

 

He called this the safest option for Thailand. No new countries who can't come have been added to the list.

 

He said the government had acted swiftly with PM Prayuth Chan-ocha calling the CCSA and acting decisively regarding Omicron.

 

He recognised that this was high season for tourists but said acting now could mitigate the situation in the longer term.

 

Any lockdown would be a final resort.

 

He urged all those eligible to get their vaccine booster. 

 

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Anutin

Thailand is effectively closed as of now because of the statement made to stop T & G

Nobody is going to trust coming to Thailand, and on Day 7 have PCR test that could be positive, and then confined to an expensive Quarantine Facility

And this guy wants to be the pm I can hardly wait!  no one will come with all this uncertainty only those who are desperate there goes their tourism industry again  2023 maybe

I remember when them open up the General Prayut say #When we open up it is no way back , we will have to learn to live whit the Covid# well that last long , General Prauyt fail again ????????????

Just because the coffin lid is screwed down (and not nailed) to allow the lid to be removed and replaced so the mourners can view the corpse, does not mean that the corpse is not dead.

34 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

Anutin

Thailand is effectively closed as of now because of the statement made to stop T & G

Nobody is going to trust coming to Thailand, and on Day 7 have PCR test that could be positive, and then confined to an expensive Quarantine Facility

200,000 Test-Maybe-Go-Hospital applications 2021

40 million 2019

Thailand might as well be shut after you take out returnees and necessary business travellers.

Quote

...Anutin confirmed that they could all come but must take two RT-PCR tests on days one and seven of their visit.

as they are released after the 1st night, who in their right mind will go in for the 2nd test?, even if there is only a million in 1 chance to test positive?

 

will they be arrested/fined if they don't do the 2nd test>
 

3 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

as they are released after the 1st night, who in their right mind will go in for the 2nd test?, even if there is only a million in 1 chance to test positive?

 

will they be arrested/fined if they don't do the 2nd test>
 

But will they be free to leave after a first negative test ??

Or be kept in a hotel for 6 days until the second test ??

48 minutes ago, fulhamster said:

But will they be free to leave after a first negative test ??

Or be kept in a hotel for 6 days until the second test ??

Can't see them been let out after 1 day and then told to come back 5 days later for another test, that would mean they could be out wandering around with the covid. 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

He told Thai Rath that it was only a temporary suspension of new applications to visit from now until January 4th.

 

When that day comes there will be a reassessment of the state of spread and situation surrounding the Omicron variant.

Then there will be a shut down.

Thailand has not been open for a while already. Thanks to bumbling inepts like you Anutin.

Words and symantics do not matter. Trust is gone.

People were nuts to consider a short term holiday here anyway. Imo, the risks are too great for an experience which is a shadow of what prepandemic Thailand looked like.

Hopefully this serves as a reality check that things do actually change at the drop of hat. Your plans may be forced to change. You might loose your money. You may get standed outside your country (ask an Australian about that). Dealing with your insurance company if things go wrong will probably suck. Your government will definately not rescue you.

I'm not saying Thailand isn't still a good option for a well motivated traveller, here for the medium term and willing to accept those risks, but at least don't buy into the smoke and hot air that international tourism is back as it was. 

This is middle-of-the-pandemic tourism and you roll dice.

The only possible/Workable place that can be "designated" for the 2nd test, due to all the admin complications, being the original hotel. 

Half measures not thought through.

Ah-huh...right!  Thailand and the MOH just need a few days to kick Omicron's butt and it's back to business.  

12 minutes ago, Karma80 said:

Words and symantics do not matter. Trust is gone.

People were nuts to consider a short term holiday here anyway. Imo, the risks are too great for an experience which is a shadow of what prepandemic Thailand looked like.

Hopefully this serves as a reality check that things do actually change at the drop of hat. Your plans may be forced to change. You might loose your money. You may get standed outside your country (ask an Australian about that). Dealing with your insurance company if things go wrong will probably suck. Your government will definately not rescue you.

I'm not saying Thailand isn't still a good option for a well motivated traveller, here for the medium term and willing to accept those risks, but at least don't buy into the smoke and hot air that international tourism is back as it was. 

This is middle-of-the-pandemic tourism and you roll dice.

Yeah, I know a bunch of guys who came here annually.  I fill them in on the details of New Normal Tourism in Thailand and they travel elsewhere or just don't travel.  Nobody is returning here under the current set of absurdly restrictive rules. 

My Niece who works in a British Travel Agency tells me nobody is even asking if Thailand is open or closed; nobody wants to go there anyway !

9 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

My Niece who works in a British Travel Agency tells me nobody is even asking if Thailand is open or closed; nobody wants to go there anyway !

BA have thrown in the towel until next October. Will other airlines be joining them, I wonder.

18 minutes ago, baboon said:

BA have thrown in the towel until next October. Will other airlines be joining them, I wonder.

i agree. you may have the pass or even later be able to get it, then find your airline cancelling due to thai yoyoing. Continual thai yes no'ing is not allowing airlines to plan anything. I want backin end Jn, but fear if they open the pass for 4/1 then they'll either close it 2 weeks later or stop flying due to cancellation by travellers or too many spare seats

7 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

i agree. you may have the pass or even later be able to get it, then find your airline cancelling due to thai yoyoing. Continual thai yes no'ing is not allowing airlines to plan anything. I want backin end Jn, but fear if they open the pass for 4/1 then they'll either close it 2 weeks later or stop flying due to cancellation by travellers or too many spare seats

If you do manage to get something organised, I would suggest flying Qatar or KLM. They seem to be the most reliable. 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

He urged all those eligible to get their vaccine booster. 

Everybody should be eligible. I walked in to an NHS facility here (UK) two days after arriving and was in and out in 12 minutes with a Pfizer booster in my arm. That’s how you protect your country. Not still faffing around with those who are entitled for a jab. Plus, once the UK realised Omicron was already here they cancelled the red list as there was no point trying stop it coming in anymore. Omicron is in Thailand, so continue with T&G. 

12 minutes ago, Wiggy said:

Everybody should be eligible. I walked in to an NHS facility here (UK) two days after arriving and was in and out in 12 minutes with a Pfizer booster in my arm. That’s how you protect your country. Not still faffing around with those who are entitled for a jab. Plus, once the UK realised Omicron was already here they cancelled the red list as there was no point trying stop it coming in anymore. Omicron is in Thailand, so continue with T&G. 

Nobody is eligible until 3 months after their second jab

4 hours ago, webfact said:

temporary suspension of new applications to visit from now until January 4th.

only to be extended on 4/jan!

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai Rath reported that 200,000 tourists were in the system with 110,000 of those approved and 90,000 waiting for approva

why not introduce a fee for registering for thai pass.

in that way, we can earn income without allowing people enter the country!!!

The junta detritus running (or not running) this government are demented.

The clown who wanted to be next PM ????

1 hour ago, trainman34014 said:

My Niece who works in a British Travel Agency tells me nobody is even asking if Thailand is open or closed; nobody wants to go there anyway !

Didn’t know people still used travel agents particularly the savvy young

I’m 71 and last used one more than 15 years ago.

2 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

My Niece who works in a British Travel Agency tells me nobody is even asking if Thailand is open or closed; nobody wants to go there anyway !

I bet you there's lots of people who would love a holiday to Thailand. 

1 hour ago, Wiggy said:

Everybody should be eligible. I walked in to an NHS facility here (UK) two days after arriving and was in and out in 12 minutes with a Pfizer booster in my arm. That’s how you protect your country. Not still faffing around with those who are entitled for a jab. Plus, once the UK realised Omicron was already here they cancelled the red list as there was no point trying stop it coming in anymore. Omicron is in Thailand, so continue with T&G. 

You forget that in Thailand everything is geared to 'Entitled' people and it is protecting them and not the country that matters !

Might as well be shut!  Who will come to quarantine?  Who will come if other countries  are shutting down, canceling airline flights until Oct(BA)?  Will peoplle belive that Omicron is less likely to be as dangerous? Possibly still too early to tell. Will boosters be available  to Foreigners as well as local nationals?  Plenty tourist and expats here now, they can have all the insurance  they need, but if beds fill up, and none available,  then what?  Once again the greed or the need has caused safety to possibly be miss understood.

10 minutes ago, StevieAus said:

Didn’t know people still used travel agents particularly the savvy young

I’m 71 and last used one more than 15 years ago.

More than you think; mainly because they can make downpayments and spread the rest over several months !