Thailand goodbye to all restrictions from May 1
Eleven months after first reopening its borders, Thailand announced that as of May 1 [...]
Eleven months after the first reopening of the borders la Thailand announced that as of May 1, all restrictions will be dropped. and all protocols provided for vaccinated travelers.
From Sandbox to Test & Go
In this article:
The Asian kingdom was the first nation to reopen its borders to tourists. On July 1 last year, Phuket had welcomed the First tourists with the Sandbox scheme. A procedure that has been modified over time and extended to other destinations, becoming simpler. In November, with a break during the outbreak of the Omicron variant, had moved on to Test & Go.
Again, the system had evolved over time adapting to pandemic conditions.
What changes from May 1
In fact traveling in Thailand For vaccinated passengers, it will be the same as in the "world before". Goodbye to pre-start PCR buffers, insulation in a SHA+ hotel awaiting the outcome of the swab on arrival and all the rest of the attached bureaucracy.
The only measure that remains active is the obligation to apply for Thai Pass, which in fact serves only to certify vaccination and possession of health insurance that Cover any problems while traveling. Thai Pass that has recently been modified to allow flexibility in the date of entry with an extended duration of up to 15 days, i.e., one week before and one week after the originally scheduled day of arrival.
Singular is the fact that the government suggests that visitors. to independently perform a quick swab in the first 24/48h after arrival. I doubt that since there is no requirement, let alone an inspection, there will be many travelers to perform it.
As for unvaccinated travelers, they can still travel to Bangkok and other popular destinations by submitting the result of a negative RT-PCR test conducted no more than 72 hours before travel. However, the requirement to remain in isolation for 5 days and a second negative swab remains.
In conclusion
This was expected news, tourist numbers in Thailand, as in all of Southeast Asia, is infinitely lower than before covid. The main reasons are the absence of Chinese travelers and the protocol that required precisely a minimum of 2 tests and the choice of accommodation such as SHA+. With the green light, however, Thailand now hopes to restart the engine that has allowed the entire nation to grow through tourism over the past 40 years.
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