Thailand likely to wave quarantine for foreign visitors from Feb

Considering establishing more “sandbox” areas for tourists

Thailand will lower its COVID-19 alert level and is considering easing more restrictions to boost its economy, its health minister said on Tuesday, in response to a slower infection rate.

Among measures being considered are establishing more “sandbox” areas for tourists, who can skip quarantine if they stay in specified areas for seven days and undergo two COVID-19 tests.

Its health minister also said on Monday that Thailand is considering bringing back a quarantine waiver for vaccinated visitors, as part of a proposed easing of some COVID-19 measures later this week.

A volunteer in personal protective equipment (PPE) takes swab samples from a sex worker for a rapid antigen test amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Thailand, January 13, 2022. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

Nightclubs, pubs and bars will remained closed for now, however, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters, adding the COVID-19 alert level will be lowered to 3, from 4, on the government’s 5-level system.

New Sandbox areas could include Chiang Mai, Chonburi, Khon Kaen and Samut Prakan provinces, he said. Thailand reopened to vaccinated foreign visitors in November to help a vital tourism industry that collapsed during nearly 18 months of strict entry policies. It saw about 200,000 arrivals last year, compared to nearly 40 million in 2019.

The scheme, a calibrated move to rebuild Thailand’s decimated tourism sector, currently operates in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and Koh Samui.

The ‘Test and Go’ policy, which allows visitors to skip the mandatory quarantine if they test negative on arrival, was suspended late in December over concerns about the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

“We will propose measures that can be done safely and are medically sound,” Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told Reuters.

“If approved it can start by Feb. 1,” he said of the quarantine waiver.

Thailand has recorded 2.3 million cases of COVID-19 and almost 22,000 deaths overall. Nearly two-thirds of its residents are vaccinated and 13.5% have received boosters. It recorded 6,929 new COVID-19 infections and 13 deaths on Monday. More than 2.3 million people have been infected overall, with 22,000 deaths. (Reuters)