Thailand restores quarantine-free entry – and this time the whole world is invited

[sapson]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

 

As the name suggests, Test & Go requires travelers to undergo an RT-PCR test upon arrival and spend the first night in a pre-booked AQ or SHA Extra+ hotel, after which they can check out if their test is negative.

Utter boll@x, can check out after day one but check in again for a day five test.

 

Total Xenophobia! if you tested a thousand Thais visiting your local 7/11 their would be more positive covid cases than from a thousand fully vaccinated and tested tourist arrivals who are at huge risk of catching the virus from the locals.

Edited January 31, 2022 by sapson

[The Hammer2021]

10 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Well it kind of is....   its Thailands ’Test & Go - come back & Test & Go again’ scheme !!!!  

 

 

Exactly, the ‘fear’ of foreigners is astonishing...   

 

Arrival Test seems fair enough - no real harm to tourism there - its one night. Perhaps still a bit of overkill given a pre-flight PCR test has already been taken....  but its not great hardship.... 

 

The 5th night test is straight from the mindset of a child. 

At the height of tourism  30 million foreigners a year were coming here so they are not scared of foreigners but historically Thais have always  sought to control  the influence of foreigners

[Pmbkk]

28 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

At the height of tourism  30 million foreigners a year were coming here so they are not scared of foreigners but historically Thais have always  sought to control  the influence of foreigners

 

Seems to have worked well with the Chinese - or did you mean farangs....

[Pmbkk]

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

At least they are trying. In Europe authoritarian lockdowns are causing serious civic distress including riots.

 

Are you serious - they've locked down and continue to lock down Thailand. Entry is troublesome & you are under constant threat of being sent to hospital if tested positive at an entertainment venue/ national park etc...

 

Most of Europe is now open and back to business as usual.

 

 

[alex8912]

I just went to the TP site just now. This is a quote "Paid AQ / SHA Extra+ hotel reservation confirmation (for the duration of 1 day and including the fee for one RT-PCR test)" 

No mention of day five at all?? 
Also I see the link in the English section for SHA extra + hotels when you open it is completely in Thai!  There is no English option? Why would they do this? It makes no sense. How many tourists can read this lol. 

Edited January 31, 2022 by alex8912

[Isaan sailor]

Meanwhile, the mighty Baht creeps up again.  Welcome to Thailand, where things cost you more every day.

[Lemsta69]

9 hours ago, a3tsw said:

Quarantine free , but not as we know it!

or , as  Thai would say

"Same Same quarantine free! ... but different!"????

 

that's how they do, why keep banging on about it?

[clivebaxter]

1 hour ago, Danderman123 said:

No. It does not work that way. 

what way does it work then?

[clivebaxter]

48 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

I just went to the TP site just now. This is a quote "Paid AQ / SHA Extra+ hotel reservation confirmation (for the duration of 1 day and including the fee for one RT-PCR test)" 

No mention of day five at all?? 
Also I see the link in the English section for SHA extra + hotels when you open it is completely in Thai!  There is no English option? Why would they do this? It makes no sense. How many tourists can read this lol. 

Yes I saw that It might change at midnight!

[shdmn]

T&G v2 electric boogaloo feels more like a cash grab to me.  Not so much about the science.

Edited January 31, 2022 by shdmn

[alex8912]

21 minutes ago, clivebaxter said:

Yes I saw that It might change at midnight!

Might lol. Nothing like waiting until the exact last minute and no one can book now. 
I also see in at least a couple hotels I looked at that it seems day 5 test is always done at the hotel.  Does anyone know if this is true? For example A loft Sukhumvit  makes it sound like hospital staff is there to test you. But how do these smaller hotels even know what time you may arrive? It talks about PCR results and about how long the results take if you arrive before or after 6:30pm. I don't see how 443 SHA hotels in BKK would all have hospital staff for testing available all the time on day five. I just don't get how day five works for the hotel and the customer. Does anyone know this?   

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

SO now all countries can use the TEST AND GO  ? those are good news.

so what about my SAND BOX application ? can i change it to test and go?

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

ON the meantime, there is a problem in the THAILAND PASS security.

propably the data base was hacked, and all email addresses were stolen, so

there is a note now on the thailand pass web site that look like this>

 

and indeed i did get this kind of email to my email address which i previously used...

 

now qustion is - what happans to the credit card digits i used to pay the PCR?

when will they be stolen?

[ikke1959]

9 hours ago, Kenchamp said:

They need to at least cut out the fifth day test. The first one i can sort of understand but even with that you would be open to dodgy testing and or a scam

THailand is about to control everything.... 

[AndresSP]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

This is a highly inaccurate headline. This IS a quarantine program. It requires two nights of quarantine, and the 2nd nite is the deal breaker. It is highly inconvenient. And in addition, there is the threat of a two week hospital stay, even if you are completely asymptomatic, if one test comes back positive, if someone on the plane sitting nearby, or in your van tests positive. 

 

Stop the panic now. Man up, and show some courage. This is NOT the Zombie Apocalypse. This is not the Bubonic plague. Let your people go back to work. Try supporting a multi trillion baht a year industry, and well beyond a trillion dollars in investments and infrastructure, instead of being puny cowards. 

 

 

The first night is also a deal breaker for 95% of genuine tourists. Honestly, flying halfway across the world looking forward to a nice vacation only to end up with the whole family in a COVID jail instead? The possibility is real if not likely with omicron. There's absolutely no reason at all to put yourself and your family through such anxiety at this point. 

[thisisrascal]

If I wasn't meeting up with a friend then I absolutely would not be visiting Thailand because of the stupid sandbox and test and go and test again regulations. I would instead be going to Cambodia for my two week holiday. 

 

 

 

[NanaSomchai]

5 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Meanwhile, the mighty Baht creeps up again.  Welcome to Thailand, where things cost you more every day.

I just don't get why you people will not "let go" when it comes to anything Thai related.

 

- The exchange rate is absolutely NOT in our favor.

 

- Traffic and commuting in Bangkok has gotten worse year after year.

 

- The PM2.5 pollution in larger cities has peaked to borderline unbreathable levels (and very little is done to prevent it, let alone tackle it).

 

- The price of goods has been continuously increasing by an average of 15% every 5 years back to back.

 

- The Highest constitutional Thai courts have handed out a judgement essentially stating that dual pricing foreigners was deemed acceptable.

 

- "Pay 4 play" relationship with local females has become way more expensive than it should be, it is now almost on par with Eastern European countries (which for some of us, defeats the whole purpose of even going to Thailand to begin with).

 

- Ladies of the night constantly glued to their phones 24/7 having as many as 20 different "sponsors" at a time.

 

- Pesky vloggers, bloggers roaming just about everywhere across the Kingdom, with their cameras pointed in every directions at mongers then uploading footage to YouTube without even blurring people's faces, etc, publicly naming and shaming anyone who dares adventuring themselves in seedy areas or engaging in nightlife activities.

 

- Consumption of alcohol beverage on the streets, on the beaches, in public parks, near/in front of official buildings, near Temples and just about everywhere in public is slowly becoming illegal, with some years having up to 21 religious related holidays per calendar year during which the sale/use of alcohol is outright frowned upon.

 

- Immigration hurdles have become drastic as time goes on, reinstating of the dreaded TM-30, TM-5, TM-whatever, clamping down of visa border runs, clamping down of "education visas", the SHA+, Test & Go, Sandbox, Thailand Pass, permanent ending of Visas on Arrivals.

 

- Road carnage numbers on the rise, "Road Safety" should be of a national concern in the Kingdom, very little is done about it.

 

- Health Minister flat out calling foreigners "dirty farangs" and stating they should "kick us out" during an improvised press conference.

 

- Currently elected officials being in office in (allegedly) fraudulent ways and manipulating/re-writing the Thai constitution as many times as necessary in order to remain in power endlessly that would make Vladimir Putin blush.

 

- PayPal withdrawing it's operations from Thailand, soon to be followed by Transferwise and other fintech online services, it's only a matter of time.

 

- Cryptocurrencies being "looked into" by the central Bank of Thailand, they are trying to restrict/forbid the use/buy/sale of Bitcoin and all other digital currencies (because they figured they cannot get their cut).

 

- Neighboring country Myanmar in War with itself, the Thais navy/army are not helping or doing their part, better yet they are sending civilians back across the border to... their demise.

 

- Amnesty International being outed of the Kingdom which should raise a major concern for anyone reading this very post.

 

- Rabies from Soi dogs infection rates are on a sharp rise, so are dengue fever outbreaks from mosquitoes bites while the Zika virus is out of control in remote parts of the country, very little is done about it.

 

- The Kingdom being turned into a Police state slowly but surely, cameras being added left and right, biometrics systems are now in use at 100% of the 74 points of entrance/exit from the Kingdom, lèse majestés laws are being brought in full force, defamation laws are being used to either sue or counter-sue anyone at any whim.

 

- No land ownership for any of us, etc, etc, and the list goes on and on and on...

 

What else do you people need to take those rose tinted glasses off and realise that the Thailand of 1990-2000's is gone for good, Thailand is no longer the land of smiles, Thailand is no longer a cheap booze/partying/fiesta/mongering destination.

 

Thailand is no longer a bang for your buck. Not a bargain anymore.

 

Move. On.

Edited January 31, 2022 by NanaSomchai

[ChC1]

Still not coming. Once bite twice shy. 

 

Malta is absolutely amazing without any of those testing <deleted>. Spain is expected to be totally free this spring. Even Saudi Arabia has easier entry than Thailand's Test and Go. Go figure. 

[garyk]

Looks like the Philippines are opening also.. Looks like that is where my first Asian hop will be. Thailand is still playing games.

[gim12]

Count me out, Philippines reopens Feb 10, must be vaccinated and have a negative test 48 hrs before departure., nothing else,  THAT is quarantine free entry and that is where I am headed this year

[Danderman123]

8 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

what way does it work then?

You seem to believe that, under Test and Go, if you arrive at your hotel after 6 pm, you will be required to spend, and pay for, a second night in the hotel.

 

This is not the case. You book a single night for Test and Go, and remain in the hotel for as long as it takes for your sample to be processed. It’s on the hotel to make sure you are out within 24 hours.

 

There is a flight to BKK that arrives at 00.05, that’s 5 minutes after midnight. All of the passengers go through Test and Go, and are released from the hotel before midnight that calendar day. Happens every single day. 

Edited January 31, 2022 by Danderman123

[Danderman123]

3 hours ago, NanaSomchai said:

I just don't get why you people will not "let go" when it comes to anything Thai related.

 

- The exchange rate is absolutely NOT in our favor.

 

- Traffic and commuting in Bangkok has gotten worse year after year.

 

- The PM2.5 pollution in larger cities has peaked to borderline unbreathable levels (and very little is done to prevent it, let alone tackle it).

 

- The price of goods has been continuously increasing by an average of 15% every 5 years back to back.

 

- The Highest constitutional Thai courts have handed out a judgement essentially stating that dual pricing foreigners was deemed acceptable.

 

- "Pay 4 play" relationship with local females has become way more expensive than it should be, it is now almost on par with Eastern European countries (which for some of us, defeats the whole purpose of even going to Thailand to begin with).

 

- Ladies of the night constantly glued to their phones 24/7 having as many as 20 different "sponsors" at a time.

 

- Pesky vloggers, bloggers roaming just about everywhere across the Kingdom, with their cameras pointed in every directions at mongers then uploading footage to YouTube without even blurring people's faces, etc, publicly naming and shaming anyone who dares adventuring themselves in seedy areas or engaging in nightlife activities.

 

- Consumption of alcohol beverage on the streets, on the beaches, in public parks, near/in front of official buildings, near Temples and just about everywhere in public is slowly becoming illegal, with some years having up to 21 religious related holidays per calendar year during which the sale/use of alcohol is outright frowned upon.

 

- Immigration hurdles have become drastic as time goes on, reinstating of the dreaded TM-30, TM-5, TM-whatever, clamping down of visa border runs, clamping down of "education visas", the SHA+, Test & Go, Sandbox, Thailand Pass, permanent ending of Visas on Arrivals.

 

- Road carnage numbers on the rise, "Road Safety" should be of a national concern in the Kingdom, very little is done about it.

 

- Health Minister flat out calling foreigners "dirty farangs" and stating they should "kick us out" during an improvised press conference.

 

- Currently elected officials being in office in (allegedly) fraudulent ways and manipulating/re-writing the Thai constitution as many times as necessary in order to remain in power endlessly that would make Vladimir Putin blush.

 

- PayPal withdrawing it's operations from Thailand, soon to be followed by Transferwise and other fintech online services, it's only a matter of time.

 

- Cryptocurrencies being "looked into" by the central Bank of Thailand, they are trying to restrict/forbid the use/buy/sale of Bitcoin and all other digital currencies (because they figured they cannot get their cut).

 

- Neighboring country Myanmar in War with itself, the Thais navy/army are not helping or doing their part, better yet they are sending civilians back across the border to... their demise.

 

- Amnesty International being outed of the Kingdom which should raise a major concern for anyone reading this very post.

 

- Rabies from Soi dogs infection rates are on a sharp rise, so are dengue fever outbreaks from mosquitoes bites while the Zika virus is out of control in remote parts of the country, very little is done about it.

 

- The Kingdom being turned into a Police state slowly but surely, cameras being added left and right, biometrics systems are now in use at 100% of the 74 points of entrance/exit from the Kingdom, lèse majestés laws are being brought in full force, defamation laws are being used to either sue or counter-sue anyone at any whim.

 

- No land ownership for any of us, etc, etc, and the list goes on and on and on...

 

What else do you people need to take those rose tinted glasses off and realise that the Thailand of 1990-2000's is gone for good, Thailand is no longer the land of smiles, Thailand is no longer a cheap booze/partying/fiesta/mongering destination.

 

Thailand is no longer a bang for your buck. Not a bargain anymore.

 

Move. On.

Yeah, those ladies on their phones 24 hours a day with their 20 sponsors is a real problem. But, if there weren’t Farang idiots sending money for nothing, that problem wouldn’t exist.

[jacko45k]

11 hours ago, kimamey said:

Won't you have been spreading it anyway between the test on arrival and the test on day 5? Does everyone in the country who has a test have a second one or are they scientifically unable to transmit Covid after their first test unlike those who have crossed the border by air, sea or land? 

Don't forget that the test on day 5 will be the 3rd test not the 2nd as your 1st will be in the 72 hours before departure. What does 'The Science' say about having to stay in a hotel when you have the test on day 5?

They could have tried to be cautious in those intervening 5 days.... but it is doubtful, these tourists have not got the mask regime mentality figured out yet. I also don't know the timeline from infection to being infectious. Your other comment is just being obtuse....people in the country already are not having a test as an arrival requirement, so I suspect they are either symptomatic, or have known contact with a positive... a very different scenario. Or their employment requires it. 

 

 

[Stargeezr]

I am just hoping that by November or December, conditions will be much improved and entry

requirements will be a lot less on most countries.  I may be too optimistic  but, have t have a little hope for the future.

  Maybe by then it will be a real quarantine situation. Here is hoping.

[Andycoops]

Yes invited to spend more money on PCR tests and hotels, what alot of nonsense.

And if positive off to quarantine, more expense.

Other countries have a single approach but not here.

You have the CCSA, provincial government, provincial health etc all with differing criteria and processes, Thai bureaucracy at it's best.

A complete mess.

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

got this email - saying need 60 days before applying to test and go...is it true?

 

"Test & Go is back! Starting February 1st, 2022, fully vaccinated travelers from around the globe can apply to enter Thailand without quarantine under the re-launched “Test and Go” program.

There are two new requirements to be aware of. You must (1) apply at least 60 days before your departure date. Also, while travelers are not required to stay in quarantine, you must (2) reserve and stay at SHA+ approved hotels on Day 1 after your arrival in Thailand, and again on Day 5 or 6, to await the results of your RT PCR tests. |"

[jacko45k]

7 minutes ago, Stargeezr said:

I am just hoping that by November or December, conditions will be much improved and entry

requirements will be a lot less on most countries.  I may be too optimistic  but, have t have a little hope for the future.

  Maybe by then it will be a real quarantine situation. Here is hoping.

I think that is optimistic. They have been having fun creating new 'Visas; and entry requirements for the period of the pandemic.... as the Covid ones are removed, I think they will get  right back to it. I suspect the 300 baht to come in will not keep them happy. Medical Insurance requirements were  being implemented pre Covid, then during Covid, and I suspect they have not finished yet. 

[DrDave]

19 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

Am I right in thinking if you get to your hotel after 6PM that needs another night in quarantine, add the fifth night and a 3rd test in a week to go with 3 nights banged up and they can kiss real tourist arrivals goodbye for now.

Yes, I believe late arrivals will generally require an extra night. All of the SHA+ hotels I've looked at offer a "2 Day Test & Go" package in addition to the 1 day package. The problem is, they're charging double the 1 day rate, even though the 2nd day doesn't include the costly airport transportation and the PCR test that's factored into the 1 day rate.

[morrobay]

46 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

 I also don't know the timeline from infection to being infectious. 

 

 

That is called the generation interval: the time between infection events in an infector - infectee pair . About 3.5 days see graph https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32145466/#:~:text=Limiting our data to only,than its median incubation period. Note the gen int. is about one day less then serial interval because people are contagious before symptoms

Edited February 1, 2022 by morrobay

[jacko45k]

3 minutes ago, morrobay said:

That is called the generation interval: the time between infection events in an infector - infectee pair . About 3.5 days see graph https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32145466/#:~:text=Limiting our data to only,than its median incubation period.

Since that is an older study, would we be right to assume Omicron has a shorter timeframe... I heard that claimed on a video I watched?