Thailand - Health Ministry warns people to get vaccinated or face possible restrictions

Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is urging people who’ve yet to be vaccinated to do so or face possible restrictions. Dr Kiatiphum Wongrajit says the ministry is ramping up vaccination in the next 2 weeks in order to achieve its target of 100 million doses administered. According to a Bangkok Post report, the figure currently stands at 85 million doses.

Around 10 million people are yet to receive their first dose and Kiatiphum says officials plan to administer 13.98 doses by the end of November. 8.6 million of those will be first doses, while 5.38 will be second and third, or booster, doses. The Bangkok Post reports that the Health Ministry has designated November 27 – December 5 as National Vaccination Week and is enlisting the help of various agencies nationwide to help accelerated vaccination efforts.

Meanwhile, the CCSA has ordered provincial governors to encourage residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Kiatiphum says unvaccinated people risk facing measures such as having to show proof of vaccination before being admitted to public spaces.

“The CCSA wants the target group to get their shots and it may come up with measures to give people an incentive to get vaccinated. And if necessary, the CCSA may impose a rule requiring people to show they have received at least 1 dose when attending activities in public places.”

Source - The Thaiger

VISA AGENT  /  How to register for: THAI PASS

.

November 1 re-opening of Thailand – The Fine Print

And now for some of the fine print, answering questions you may have had about re-entry to Thailand from next Monday, November 1.

Who can travel to Thailand?
Travellers will be categorised into 3 groups…

• The first are fully vaccinated visitors from 46 countries (www.thaiembassy.com).

They must stay one night in either a SHA+ certified hotel or an ASQ hotel for a RT-PCR test and wait for the result.

Then they can travel anywhere in Thailand.

• The second group is fully vaccinated visitors from countries NOT on the list of 46.

They must stay in SHA+hotels for 7 nights in a “sandbox” area… which will include 17 provinces, including the original Sandbox, Phuket. As well as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri and Krabi.

• The third group is unvaccinated, or not fully vaccinated, travellers.

They are required to stay in ASQ hotels for 10 nights. When they pass the second Covid-19 test they are able to travel to other places in Thailand.

(A link to further details below)

Getting the Thailand Pass
All international travellers must apply for a Thailand Pass which will be formally introduced on November 1 at 9am (Thai time).

This replaces the Certificate of Entry.

Here’s the website for the Thailand Pass.


Here you can upload required documents including a vaccination certificate and medical insurance with minimum coverage of US$50,000.

It will take 1-7 days for approval of the traveller’s Thailand Pass. Once approved, a QR code is generated which the traveller can use as they enter Thailand.

Note that the approval process will be faster if the traveller’s vaccine certification is in a digital format.

So, if you want to enter Thailand in the first 7 days of November you’ll probably need an existing CoE.

Arrival in Thailand

International travellers can enter Thailand through 6 international airports… Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Samui and U-Tapao airport in Rayong. Buri Ram airport will also be an option, but only for charter flights.

Travellers need to present a negative RT-PCR test result issued within 72 hours before travelling, and their Thailand Pass QR code as they pass through health screening and immigration.

They must download the Mor Chana application on their phones. The app will require them to evaluate their health condition daily while in Thailand.

From the airport to their approved ASQ or SHA+ hotel, they must travel in SHA+ vehicles, not in a normal taxi. Your hotels will organise this for you.

The approved hotel will provide the RT-PCR test, in conjunction with a local hospital.

There will be price ceilings set for RT-PCR to avoid any price gouging.

Fully vaccinated local or foreign residents can’t quarantine in their homes for the first night after they arrive in Thailand. They must stay in an approved SHA+ hotel until they receive a negative test result.

If the result is positive, they will be sent to a hospital or an ASQ hotel, at their expense (check the fine print on your Covid insurance).

Travelling with children
Children under 12 years of age, travelling with their parents, aren’t required to have a vaccine certificate.

For children older than 12, a vaccine certificate and medical insurance will be required.

Medical insurance
Only Thai nationals aren’t required to have medical insurance because any medical costs incurred by citizens will be covered under Thailand’ universal health care system.

The CCSA is working to extend that insurance exemption to foreign residents who already have medical and health insurance in Thailand. This may be announced before next Monday.

Foreign travellers need to ensure that their insurance policy does not only specify Covid-19 health coverage, but other general illnesses and hospital expenses.

Visitors from 46 countries
Fully vaccinated travellers from the 46 listed countries and territories are required to have stayed at least 21 days in one or more of THOSE countries before travelling to Thailand.

But fully vaccinated local and foreign residents can travel to to one of the 46 countries for a shorter period and then return. They are not required to stay a full 21 days in that country.

But that exemption doesn’t apply to local and foreign residents who visit countries that aren’t on the list of 46 eligible countries or territories.

Transit passengers
For transit passengers passing through countries that aren’t on the list 46 approved countries or territories, they can continue their trip to Thailand IF the transit period does’t exceed 12 hours and if they stay in the airport.

Source - The Thaiger

VISA AGENT  /  How to register for: THAI PASS

Thailand entry rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated tourists

On Monday (Nov 1), Thailand will reopen to international foreign tourists for the first time in almost two years.

With the reopening just days away, the Thai government has provided a little more clarity on the entry process and requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated foreign tourists.

Anyone arriving in Thailand from November 1 will essentially be grouped into three categories:

1. Fully vaccinated arriving from a ‘low risk’ country

Anyone who is fully vaccinated and arriving from one of the 46 countries deemed to be low risk must stay one night in an SHA+ certified hotel or alternative quarantine hotel for one night while they await the result of a RT-PCR test.

If the test is negative, they are free to travel anywhere in Thailand without restrictions. Thailand is calling this process ‘Test & Go’.

 2. Fully vaccinated from a non low risk country

People who are fully vaccinated but arrive from a country not listed among the 46 low risk countries are required to stay at an SHA+ hotel in a Blue Zone ‘sandbox’ area for seven nights.

If they test negative on day 6 or 7 of their stay, they are free to travel elsewhere in Thailand.

All of Thailand’s main tourist destinations are ‘sandbox’ areas, such as Bangkok and Phuket. However, some provinces are only opening certain districts to tourists.

For example, in Chonburi, tourists are only allowed to visit Bang Lamung, Pattaya, Sri Racha, Ko Si Chang and Bang Saray. In Prachuap Khiri Khan, tourists from non low risk countries can visit Hua Hin and Nong Khae districts.

Thailand is calling this process ‘Living in the Blue Zone’.

 3. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated

Regardless of which country they are travelling from, anyone who is unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated are required to stay in an alternative quarantine hotel for 10 nights. If they test negative on day 9 or 10 of their stay they can travel to other areas of Thailand.

Before departure to Thailand

Before departing for Thailand, foreign tourists need to make sure they have the required documentation listed below and have applied for a Thailand Pass, which replaces the Certificate of Entry needed previously to enter Thailand.

 The required documents are:

- A Certificate of Vaccination (fully vaccinated) with an approved vaccine at least 14 days before travelling.

- Those previously infected within 3 months must have received 1 dose of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before travelling.

- Travellers under 12 years of age, travelling with parents or guardians, are exempt from the vaccination requirement.

- A Medical Certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected issued no more than 72 hours before  travelling (all travellers).

- A confirmed payment for a 1-night stay at SHA+, AQ, OQ, or AHQ accommodation, and 1 RT-PCR test.

- An insurance policy with coverage no less than US$50,000.


How to register for Thailand Pass:

Source - Asian Now

 

 VISA AGENT  /  How to register for: THAI PASS

94% of Thais still concerned about country reopening

Some 94 per cent of Thais are still concerned about the Covid-19 situation once the country reopens from November 1, according to a survey conducted by the Department of Health from October 14 to 20.
The survey showed only 28 per cent are confident in disease control measures and the prevention of further infections.

Meanwhile, 72 per cent said the measures should be increased or intensified to ensure health safety.

This includes accelerating vaccinations for everyone across the country to meet the criteria of covering 70 per cent of the population in each province.

Some 60 per cent of the respondents said they would like to see tighter controls on illegal entry along the border, and 55 per cent said they would favour strict monitoring and compliance with Covid-19 preventive measures at workplaces and for the general public.

There was no mention of how many people took part in the survey.

Source - The Nation / BangkokJack

VISA AGENT --- THAI PASS

Vietnam to test reopening starting with Phu Quoc Island

Vietnam was one of the earliest countries to lockdown due to Covid-19, a strategy that had done it well until a massive outbreak in April, just like Thailand. And now, also like Thailand, they are looking to relaunch their tourism industry after close to two years of closures. Vietnam is now looking to reopen in late November, starting with the popular resort island of Phu Quoc.

The island aims to reopen to inoculated foreign tourists starting November 20 with charter flights bringing fully vaccinated international travelers to the tropical paradise. Phu Quoc is known for beautiful white sand beaches and clear blue waters on the coast with jungles and mountains inland.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Vietnamese government was angling to turn the island in the Gulf of Thailand about 10 km off the coast of Cambodia into a beach-going tourist hot spot along the lines of Bali and Phuket. Phu Quoc had already been drawing massive crowds with figures from 2019 reporting US $18 billion generated by approximately 670,000 international travellers.

Like Thailand’s reopening, Vietnamese authorities hope to attract travellers from countries that are low risk for Covid-19 infections, citing parts of Europe, the Middle East, Northeast and Southeast Asia, North America, and Australia as their target market.

The reopening was originally planned for October, then postponed due to low local vaccination rates, with only about 20% of Vietnam’s 100 million people having received the full inoculation. But the Vietnam economy is suffering after closed borders and some of the strictest lockdowns in the world, with almost no commercial flights being allowed to land in Vietnam since the beginning months of last year.

So Vietnam is dipping its toe in the water with Phu Quoc, hoping to bring in a few vaccinated tourists next month and, if successful, slowly trickle in another 5,000 foreigners on charter flights between December and the end of March.

Vietnamese authorities hope that the experimental reopening of Phu Quoc Island will pave the way to reopening other popular tourist destinations like Ha Long Bay and Hoi An in the near future, but no timeline or details have been set yet.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World / The Thaiger

VISA AGENT

CCSA operations director say detailed announcements on Thailand’s reopening plan to vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine will come this week

A clear and actual plan for Thailand’s reopening to welcome fully vaccinated foreigners will be discussed and finalized within 1-2 days, the director of the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s (CCSA) operations center stated today, October 18th.

General Supot Malaniyom from the CCSA’s operations center revealed today to the press that the details of the plan to open the country to fully vaccinated tourists without mandatory quarantine, according to the Prime Minister’s policy, will be announced at a major CCSA meeting within 1-2 days from today, October 18th, 2021.

Additionally, details on what should be prioritized and considered in terms of how and if the plan will be able to be implemented next month will be available this week and will not be “held off until the last moment”, according to the director. This statement appeared to be directed at many people commenting on social media who had been afraid that any “official” announcements about the plan would be held off until possibly the last several days of October, like the Phuket Sandbox previously, leaving people with little time to plan potential trips in November.

Full Story: https://thepattayanews.com/2021/10/18/ccsa-operations-director-say-detailed-announcements-on-thailands-reopening-plan-to-vaccinated-foreign-tourists-without-quarantine-will-come-this-week/

Source - ASIAN NOW

VISA AGENT

PM sets Nov 1 for reopening to foreign tourists from low-risk countries

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Monday that he will push for the opening up of the country to fully vaccinated foreign tourists from at least 10 countries on Nov 1, as the government earlier planned.

Gen Prayut said in a nationally televised broadcast that fully vaccinated tourists from at least 10 low-risk countries would be allowed to enter Thailand by air with no quarantine requirements.

The prime minister named the United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, China and the United States among the first group of countries to benefit from the move.

"I have instructed the CCSA and the Ministry of Public Health to urgently consider within this week to allow, as of Nov 1, international visitors to enter Thailand without any requirement for quarantine if they are fully vaccinated and arrive by air from low-risk countries," he said.

He pledged to open the gates for more countries by Dec 1 and targeted others by Jan 1.

Tourists from countries not on the low-risk list would be allowed but they would be required to quarantine, he added.

The announcement came after other countries including Singapore and Australia eased travel restrictions for their citizens to travel overseas.

Gen Prayut hoped the decision to open up the country next month would draw foreign tourists to Thailand over the next three months, including the forthcoming year-end holidays.

They would revitalise the sector and related businesses that involved millions of people in the country, he went on.

The government had earlier planned to open only Bangkok and several provinces for foreign tourists on Nov 1. The other provinces are Chon Buri (Pattaya city, Bang Lamung district, and Sattahip district), Phetchaburi (Cha-am district), Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin district) and Chiang Mai (Muang, Mae Taeng, Mae Rim and Doi Tao districts).

Monday's announcement indicated that the reopening would cover all parts of the country.

The announcement came after the country saw the number of fatalities drop below 100 in recent days, with new cases hovering around 10,000.

Although the situation was improving in most parts of Thailand, a surge of new infections continued in Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla and Yala. The southern border provinces were in the spotlight of health authorities who were mulling additional measures to clamp down on the spike in the areas.

Tourism was the main sector driving the economy before the pandemic floored the industry last year. The sector accounted for about 20% of gross domestic product if both local tourists and foreign arrivals were counted. Revenue from foreign tourists alone was about 15% of GDP, as the country welcomed almost 40 million travellers from abroad, especially Chinese.

The Bank of Thailand estimated only 200,000 foreign arrivals this year with the number jumping to 6 million next year.

Restrictions eased for alcohol sales

The prime minister said the government will allow restaurants and other places to sell alcohol by Dec 1 to promote tourism and the entertainment sector as people plan to celebrate the new year.

"By Dec 1, we will also consider allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages in restaurants as well as the operation of entertainment venues under appropriate health precautions to support the revitalisation of the tourism and leisure sectors, especially the new year period," he said.

Source - BangkokPost

Our - VISA AGENT