From the beginning of next month, Thailand’s Covid-19 task force has announced that the country will resume its quarantine-free travel scheme for inbound visitors who are fully vaccinated.
Xinhua news agency reports that the ‘Test & Go’ quarantine exemption scheme was suspended on December 22, 2021, only seven weeks after it was first implemented, due to the rapid spread of the virus, which was fueled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which is highly contagious.
According to Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesperson for the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), fully-vaccinated visitors will be able to enter Thailand without having to undergo quarantine as of February 1, as long as they take RT-PCR tests on the first and fifth days of their arrival in Thailand, according to a press briefing.
According to Taweesin, visitors should wait for their test results at their booked hotels and agree to download an app that will track their whereabouts while on the road.
He stated that the infections in Thailand are considered to be at a manageable level, and that it is expected that they will stabilise and begin to decline in the near future.
The decision was made as part of the government’s efforts to revitalise the tourism industry and boost the country’s economic recovery.
According to a new relaxation of restrictive measures, restaurants will now be permitted to serve alcohol until 11 p.m., an increase of two hours from the previous requirement.
Bars and nightclubs, on the other hand, will remain closed.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Southeast Asian country reported 8,129 new cases during the previous 24 hours, an increase for the second consecutive day, and 19 additional fatalities.
Until now, 66.4 percent of the country’s nearly 70 million people have received their full vaccinations, with 15.3 percent receiving their booster shots.