From February 1st, Thailand will resume its plan to allow the entry of tourists without quarantine, which was suspended due to the appearance of the contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Vaccinated tourists will now be allowed to return to the country provided they agree to undergo a Covid-19 test on the first and fifth day after arrival, said Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman for the country’s pandemic management body. Visitors will have to isolate themselves in a hotel while awaiting their test result and will have to download a tracking app to ensure they comply with the rules.
The pilot program launched in November allowed vaccinated tourists to spend seven nights in hotels in selected tourist destinations, such as the popular island of Phuket, before traveling around the rest of the country.
In need of tourism revenue, Thailand launched this program as an alternative to the two-week mandatory hotel quarantine that had been in place until then. But this reopening was suspended at the end of last month due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
As this variant has not led to an increase in deaths or hospitalizations in the country, Taweesin indicated that they decided to reactivate the program, while keeping a close eye on the evolution of the situation.
The pandemic and the consequent travel restrictions have wrecked the economy of this Southeast Asian kingdom, which is heavily dependent on tourism.
According to Reuters, arrivals in 2021 were about 0.5% of the pre-pandemic figure, which hit a record of nearly 40 million in 2019. Thailand has reported 2.3 million infections and nearly 22,000 deaths. About two-thirds of residents have been vaccinated and 15% have received a booster.
