Fears growing that Covid may yet derail plans to reopen fully to foreign tourism from July 1st next

[webfact]

On Friday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha (right) chaired a meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) which deferred a decision on a proposal to replace RT-PCR testing on arrival in Thailand with an antigen test until after the Songkran holiday. It follows gloomy comments by the Prime Minister, earlier this week, in which he warned that the war against COVID-19 was far from won. He pointed out that the situation could be reversed if everyone involved did not act responsibly and also alluded to a new variation of the Omicron strain of COVID-19 highlighted by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The meeting followed proposals from Bhumjaithai Party ministers Anutin Charnvirakul, the Minister of Public Health (left inset) and Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn (right inset) to introduce antigen testing for visitors on arrival from May 1st next. After Friday’s meeting, the spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin (left), emphasised that there was a will to further ease restrictions after the Songkran holiday period. It is now clear, however, that the government is deviating from its four-phase plan outlined earlier this year by the Ministry of Public Health to withdraw all entry restrictions for tourists by July 1st next.

 

by Carla Boonkong & Pranee O' Connor

 

The news comes with rising foreign tourist arrivals from April reportedly up by 66% this week as the requirement for a pre-departure test and a certificate was abolished, as planned, on April 1st. This was Phase Two of a Four-Phase plan which has been thrown out of kilter by proposals from Bhumjaithai Party ministers this week which emphasised the retention of an antigen test on arrival for visitors after May 1st when all testing was scheduled to be removed. Despite Friday’s postponement, CCSA spokesman, Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, did emphasise that there was a will to further ease restrictions on incoming travellers.

 

The Thai government has been moving away from its full reopening plan for foreign tourism announced at the start of the year with a clear path to end all restrictions by July 1st and a declaration of endemic status. It comes as the economic imperative to boost the foreign tourism industry has never been stronger or more timely with rising prices and declining world trade but also with a potential opportunity with the prospect of a declining baht. On Friday, a decision on an already altered proposal to replace RT-PCR tests on arrival with an antigen test from May 1st was postponed at a meeting of the key COVID-19 emergency coordinating body when the Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, requested data relating to infections after the Songkran holiday period in mid-April.

 

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There are worrying signs for the travel industry that the government is becoming increasingly cautious and wary about the COVID-19 situation following comments by the Thai Prime Minister over the last week suggesting that the current easing of restrictions could easily be reversed and a decision on Friday by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to put off what would have been in itself an aberration from a clear four-phase plan outlined by the Ministry of Public Health, earlier this year, which projected that from May 1st or Phase three of that plan, the country would see all testing removed for incoming vaccinated travellers.

 

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Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/04/08/fears-rise-for-free-foreign-tourism-access/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2022-04-09

 

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[garyk]

I am beginning to think Thailand will never fully reopen. The people making the money will not let it happen.

 

So, I am tripple vaccinated , Covid is not a concern what so ever now in the US. Why in the world do I need to go threw all the nonsense to enter?  Just nonsense!  

 

I am off to SA again in May. Scre## Thailand.

 

[jerrymahoney]

53 minutes ago, garyk said:

I am beginning to think Thailand will never fully reopen.

Then you will have lots of material.

[mania]

1 hour ago, garyk said:

I am beginning to think Thailand will never fully reopen. The people making the money will not let it happen.

Exactly This ^^^^

 

Then again you have the dueling parties too with election coming

Last thing Junta wants is students gathering to protest so they keep that decree in place till elctions

 

Secondly Anutin who himself has illusions of grandeur & possibly being the next useless PM keeps trying to suggest

(although rightfully so ) lesser restrictions to garner brownie points with the tourist sectors etc But he is

only doing it to keep himself rel event/in the news

 

Lastly the campaign of fear is so deep now in Thailand that you have folks taking covid tests at home daily & posting the reults

on their social media feeds like a badge of cleanliness ?? Surely someone is also raking in baht over those tests sales

 

The only way out of this is citizens of Thailand need to just say no more

But then again you know everyone except the youth are programed to just nod in agreement with

anyone they deem higher up the ladder than them so this would likely be a undermanned protest

 

[NHPT]

I think it may be too late for the tourist industry to recover...ever

[CartagenaWarlock]

Instead of ramping up booster shots and sticking to the plan, they are dilly dallying with non-sense discussions everyday. Just stick to the plan and ramp up booster shot though I am not still convinced if booster have any effects or not by looking at increased death in Europe with a high rate booster shots. 

[Whale]

So what happens I come and then fail the test at the airport. I think this is what people should be made aware of.

[ezzra]

Covid is here to stay for long time in one form or another, either the authorities will adopt and learn to live with Covid or continue to moan and lament about low tourist's numbers...

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Covid is here to stay for long time in one form or another, either the authorities will adopt and learn to live with Covid or continue to moan and lament about low tourist's numbers...

The authorities are still drawing paychecks.

 

[placeholder]

22 minutes ago, Whale said:

So what happens I come and then fail the test at the airport. I think this is what people should be made aware of.

Obviously the govt has gotten this backwards. Instead of making tests upon landing mandatory, it should make have eliminated that requirment and kept the requirement that made tests before boarding the plane mandatory. That way, no unpleasant surprises for tourists upon landing. A tourist tested 72 hours before the flight is far, far less likely to be infect with Covid than a Thai person. 

Or better yet, the govt should make vaccinations for Thais mandatory and eliminate altogether any testing or vaccination requirements for tourists.

[ikke1959]

If the people get enough of this delaying every time it will end soon, but as long as the people of Thailand let the old men in charge  the country will go backwarths ,nothing will change. Of course they can not lift restrictions .. the students will come on the streets again and want reformation, what indeed is very needed and make the country enter the 21st century..  

[Paul Henry]

To the Government, Songran seems more important than the tourist industry that goes all year.

Forget about the thousands of Thias reliant on the tourist industry and just let everyone go mad for a few days.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The Thai government has been moving away from its full reopening plan for foreign tourism announced at the start of the year with a clear path to end all restrictions by July 1st and a declaration of endemic status.

The government has to be seen to be in control.

If it declares Covid is over and all borders are fully open it has to go back to running the country, which it obviously can't do.

[Canadian Snowbird]

And the "flip flop" continues. Who wants to make plans to return when you can't trust what the requirements will be when it's time for departure? 

[Walker88]

Perhaps the PM is being influenced by the actions of his role model, President-for-Life Xi of the PRC.

 

It's bizarre what is now happening in one of the world's largest cities, Shanghai. In lockdown, as part of Xi's Zero Covid policy, the masses are beginning to rumble as many have neither money nor food. The CP is woefully inefficient in trying to address the food needs of tens of millions of locked down subjects. Of course, anyone would be unable to adequately meet the needs as well as corral so many people, except in an authoritarian State. And therein lies the attraction.

 

A question remains: why is Xi so hellbent on total control of Covid? Does he believe it is even possible, save via keeping China ringfenced and its borders locked for the next five years? Does he have some special knowledge of Covid no one else has? Is it simply his penchant for wanting total control over people whose 'votes' he obviously will never need, plus a kind of delusionary view of how long even the CP and PLA can keep a billion four hundred million Chinese under their bamboo hand? Does Xi think he can keep economic activity at a high enough level to sustain China's growing debt and RE problems under lockdown?

 

In any event, it seems Xi's actions might be inspiring Thailand's PM to maintain the 'advantages' of Covid fear in a self-appointed and unpopular regime.

[sammieuk1]

And how do we remain in power with our corrupt record ... Just extend covid our savior ????

[engamann]

Cha Cha and the junta government is not finish ruin the country , please give them 1 more year and stop complain ????????

[Caldera]

What's there to fear? Covid is already everywhere, a few more cases brought in by international arrivals won't make a big difference.

 

They should focus on the vaccination and booster campaign, in particular for the elderly and sick.

[mommysboy]

Thailand's vaccination program has failed to reach those who really needed it most, so unfortunately what goes for other countries, eg, UK, USA, does not follow for this country.  Whilst the latest Omicron variant is inherently less dangerous, even mild in some cohorts, it nevertheless is a threat for many older and more vulnerable people.

 

It's an incredible, needless sxxxshow but Thailand simply isn't ready to open, and may not be able to do so for some months yet.

[NoshowJones]

Opening up the country has little to do with the Cvirus itself, but more to do with the protestors who will be filling the streets of Bangkok, and good luck to them.

[Mavideol]

already preparing for a U turn which is their usual type of action

[Adelphi]

I normally spend the UK winter in Thailand as I hate the cold and grey.  I love Thailand but not with all of these hoops to get in to the country.

 

Last winter I went to Gran Canaria - very nice - much cheaper/shorter flight.   Good holiday.

 

This coming winter I am going to the Philippines - no hoops on arrival.

 

If Thailand wants me and my money back they need to cut the <deleted>.  Up to you Thailand.

[malibukid]

this all could have been adverted if the Thai government had gotten it right in the first place, but elected to go with big brothers useless vaccine in true Thai fashion and incompetence

[whereyougo]

9 hours ago, NHPT said:

I think it may be too late for the tourist industry to recover...ever

OMG you sayin this is it? It's the final final final final nail in that tourist coffin? 

[edwinchester]

Over the next few days literally 10's of millions of Thai's will be traveling all over the nation potentially infecting millons of others at unsupervised events and family gatherings. The fact Prayut is so preoccupied with a tiny influx of tourists from abroad when the real problem is entirely created from within beggars belief

[Petey11]

1 hour ago, edwinchester said:

Over the next few days literally 10's of millions of Thai's will be traveling all over the nation potentially infecting millons of others at unsupervised events and family gatherings. The fact Prayut is so preoccupied with a tiny influx of tourists from abroad when the real problem is entirely created from within beggars belief

You forget the Thai social status of not admitting fault. He has to find an alternative to the s**t show going on and incoming foreigners are the ideal target rather than the government's inept handling of vaccination of the elderly and vulnerable.

[2 is 1]

Here in Europe movement from country to other is almost back like it was before covid . They not anymore watch covid passport either. Now covid has reach level that almost any restriction dosent do anything! Because every country have already so much infected people you cant bring it more from other country! Thailand has average 50k infected every day and those are only tested one's! So how they think people who entrance country can chance that situation to worse!?

Only reason to this idiocy has to be financial reason to some who decide things!

[bangon04]

10 hours ago, Paul Henry said:

To the Government, Songran seems more important than the tourist industry that goes all year.

Forget about the thousands of Thias reliant on the tourist industry and just let everyone go mad for a few days.

and keep blaming the vaccinated Farang coming through the airport hurdles.....

[RobU]

The compulsory test and go won't end, look at who governs Thailand and who owns the testing laboratories which potentially make a fortune from fleecing foreigners

[DrJoy]

12 hours ago, ezzra said:

continue to moan and lament about low tourist's numbers...

I think they like that