Thai ministry of health seeks end to pre-departure RT-PCR tests for international arrivals

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, smedly said:

the 5 day test was to allow tourists to go out and mingle and them the biggest chance of catching covid then bang them up at huge personal expense - do they honestly think that tourists are this stupid

Some are yes.

[jacko45k]

19 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Some are yes.

It is not the way I recall it. The 5 day retest was introduced as an after measure, prior, a single test on arrival was being applied, but a lot of subsequent infections were being found.

Edited March 18, 2022 by jacko45k

[Oracle2022]

Meanwhile, Cambodia fully opens......no mandatory 1 night quarantine, no testing, no nonsense.

 

Fully open for anyone vaccinated. Well done to Cambodia for seeing sense and joining the Philippines in being open to tourism really.....not a fake effort like Thailand.

 

Cambodia Reopens to Tourism | Markets Insider (businessinsider.com)

 

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[jacko45k]

20 minutes ago, Oracle2022 said:

Meanwhile, Cambodia fully opens......no mandatory 1 night quarantine, no testing, no nonsense.

 

Fully open for anyone vaccinated. Well done to Cambodia for seeing sense and joining the Philippines in being open to tourism really.....not a fake effort like Thailand.

 

Cambodia Reopens to Tourism | Markets Insider (businessinsider.com)

 

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I think it advantageous that Thailand opens up after Cambodia and Philippines.....let all the undesirables head there!

[cardinalblue]

It does save money not having a pre arrival PCR test a $100 a pop…

 

but now tourists will caught in their web if testing positive and off to the hospital with a big payout to the hospital…

 

what time today is the announcement of changes?

Edited March 18, 2022 by cardinalblue

[ThailandRyan]

9 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

It does save money not having a pre arrival PCR test a $100 a pop…

 

but now tourists will caught in their web if testing positive and off to the hospital with a big payout to the hospital…

Depending on where your flying from the pre-flight test can be up to $300 USD as I paid the last week of February in Palm Springs, California.  Of course I wanted my results back within 24 hours and not 3 to 5 days which is pure BS and still cost $150 USD

[Travis179]

11 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Depending on where your flying from the pre-flight test can be up to $300 USD as I paid the last week of February in Palm Springs, California.  Of course I wanted my results back within 24 hours and not 3 to 5 days which is pure BS and still cost $150 USD

$235 for me in Sacramento, CA, for same day results. 

[ThailandRyan]

2 minutes ago, Travis179 said:

$235 for me in Sacramento, CA, for same day results. 

So many uncontrolled counties in Ca. charging what they want or what the market will bear obviously. Just think of the extra cost for a family of four who is only traveling for 2 weeks.

Edited March 18, 2022 by ThailandRyan

[TheFishman1]

End the Thai pass And all the other  BS  Then maybe Tourist would come back T I T

[Tropicalevo]

16 hours ago, Bobtheblob said:

Completely pointless it's not the pre-departure test that is the problem. Its the prospect of being put in covid prison from the post flight test that's the problem. 

"Prison" is not the problem either.

All of the guests that we have checked in and then who then show positive for Covid, have been found on the second test. Day 5. (They then quarantined in their holiday accomodation. Not quite a prison.)

This indicates to me, that the most likely place to catch Covid is on the plane or at an airport. Maybe even in a taxi or a bus!

Some friends have just returned to the UK.

Negative tests here during their three week stay but positive after arriving back in the UK. They think that they picked up Covid at Frankfurt airport!

[nitehawk42]

Irrelevant, airlines will still require the test.

[Mike Teavee]

6 hours ago, Travis179 said:

$235 for me in Sacramento, CA, for same day results. 

£55 for a nurse administered PCR test for me (North West England) haven’t paid it yet as I’m booked in next Thursday (flight is on Sunday) so fingers crossed I won’t need it. 
 

 

[Ty Hareways]

Fully expecting there next move to be to ditch the PCR test on arrival but replace it with a lateral flow test, they'll be thinking the thick tourists will think 'we're doing them a favour' when in reality the lateral flow test is a lot easier to pull scams with.

Sane people will not fall for it though.

[internationalism]

5 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

"Prison" is not the problem either.

All of the guests that we have checked in and then who then show positive for Covid, have been found on the second test. Day 5. (They then quarantined in their holiday accomodation. Not quite a prison.)

This indicates to me, that the most likely place to catch Covid is on the plane or at an airport. Maybe even in a taxi or a bus!

Some friends have just returned to the UK.

Negative tests here during their three week stay but positive after arriving back in the UK. They think that they picked up Covid at Frankfurt airport!

it's only 2-3 days for omicron to be detected.

So they got it anytime between departure to thailand or shortly before 5th day test.

Nobody can say when they got it, until contact tracing (person confirming positive results).

In a sense, if not serious symptoms, good to have it and in this way boost immunity, as well as be protected for 90 days by recovery certificate.

 

khasod english on the fb page some 2h ago:

"The government on Friday announced that it will do away with mandatory RT-PCR tests 72 hours prior to entering Thailand starting April 1".

[billd766]

20 hours ago, CartagenaWarlock said:

I read in Bangkok Post today

Thank you

 

I must have missed it as I was out all day.

[EricTh]

On 3/17/2022 at 7:09 PM, CartagenaWarlock said:

THey are planning for a single antigen test on arrival in the final phase of lifting restrictions around July. 

They should be doing only ATK test (No PCR test) on 1 Apr and declaring endemic on 1 July.

 

The PCR test is costly (and painful up the nose) for foreigners, and Covid insurance of 20,000 USD is also expensive. These two should be scrapped for those fully vaccinated.

 

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by EricTh

[CartagenaWarlock]

21 hours ago, realfunster said:

Thai quarantine system upon arrival, with the associated costs. Unbelievably ill conceived and let’s face it, idiotic. 

Is not the insurance going to pay for that if somebody is tested positive on arrival testing. What's the insurance for. otherwise?

[internationalism]

from 1st April

no pre-departure pcr

sandbox 5 days

https://www.tatnews.org/2022/03/thailand-to-lift-pretravel-testing-requirement-for-international-arrivals-from-1-april-2022/

[CartagenaWarlock]

18 minutes ago, EricTh said:

The PCR test is costly (and painful up the nose) for foreigners, and Covid insurance of 20,000 USD is also expensive. These two should be scrapped for those fully vaccinated.

I did not find it painful. A little tingling sensation. The premium for insurance has now dropped to 700 baht for 30-day. When they reduce to 10K USD, it will drop further. And it is required if somebody found positive upon arrival and requires quarantine. 

Edited March 18, 2022 by CartagenaWarlock

[RobU]

 

I have just been attempting the 'Thailand Pass' it states that you Must be in a hotel on day one and day 5 of your stay for the Covid testing it then goes on to say "you are probably best staying in the same hotel for 5 days" 'nuff said????

[internationalism]

7 minutes ago, RobU said:

 

I have just been attempting the 'Thailand Pass' it states that you Must be in a hotel on day one and day 5 of your stay for the Covid testing it then goes on to say "you are probably best staying in the same hotel for 5 days" 'nuff said????

from 1st March no more 5th day pcr testing, just self-administered atk

[MaiDong]

29 minutes ago, CartagenaWarlock said:

I did not find it painful. A little tingling sensation. The premium for insurance has now dropped to 700 baht for 30-day. When they reduce to 10K USD, it will drop further. And it is required if somebody found positive upon arrival and requires quarantine. 

Which insurance policy please?

[EricTh]

37 minutes ago, CartagenaWarlock said:

I did not find it painful. A little tingling sensation. The premium for insurance has now dropped to 700 baht for 30-day. When they reduce to 10K USD, it will drop further. And it is required if somebody found positive upon arrival and requires quarantine. 

 

Which Covid insurance did you take that offerred 700 baht? The last I checked it was a few thousand baht.

 

 

 

[EricTh]

22 minutes ago, RobU said:

 

I have just been attempting the 'Thailand Pass' it states that you Must be in a hotel on day one and day 5 of your stay for the Covid testing it then goes on to say "you are probably best staying in the same hotel for 5 days" 'nuff said????

 

I think that is the situation before 1 April. Hopefully, after 1 April we just need to do the test at the airport and if negative, off we go.

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by EricTh

[MaiDong]

3 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

Which Covid insurance did you take that offerred 700 baht? The last I checked it was a few thousand baht.

 

 

 

He said the premium was just B700, I'm assuming the policy was higher, I'm just looking for any policy recommendations at all at the moment!

[CartagenaWarlock]

20 minutes ago, MaiDong said:

Which insurance policy please?

https://tqm-app.com/static/thailandpass/index.html

[CartagenaWarlock]

12 minutes ago, EricTh said:

Which Covid insurance did you take that offerred 700 baht? The last I checked it was a few thousand baht.

 

https://tqm-app.com/static/thailandpass/index.html

[MaiDong]

4 minutes ago, CartagenaWarlock said:

https://tqm-app.com/static/thailandpass/index.html

Thanks, I'd not seen this yet.

Does it cover the cost of enforced quarantine should we test positive? It states;

'Coverage starts immediately after clearing immigration in Thailand and include[sp] the period of Alternative Quarantine (AQ), SHA + hotel and sandbox program'

That, to me, reads like it does, but if you're not sure, I'll contact them in the morning for clarification.

[RobU]

58 minutes ago, internationalism said:

from 1st March no more 5th day pcr testing, just self-administered atk

It's already the 18th of March and it still says you must be in an hotel on the 5th day

[internationalism]

2 minutes ago, RobU said:

It's already the 18th of March and it still says you must be in an hotel on the 5th day

I have entered thailand on 2nd March and didn't need to do 5th day hotel stay.

Same as some 200 000 other entering on T&G from the beginning of March