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THAILAND is considering reinstating the quarantine waiver for foreign nationals (foreigners) visiting the country, on condition that they must have been vaccinated.
This was announced by Thailand’s Minister of Health Anutin Charnvirakul, as part of a proposed easing of some COVID-19 measures this weekend.
Thailand reopened to vaccinated foreign visitors in November to help a vital tourism industry that collapsed during nearly 18 months of strict entry policies. The policy impacted around 200,000 arrivals last year, compared to nearly 40 million in 2019.
The “Test and Go” policy, which allows visitors to bypass mandatory quarantine if they test negative on arrival, was suspended in late December due to concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
“We will propose measures that can be carried out safely and medically sound,” Minister Charnvirakul told Reuters.
“If approved, it could start on February 1,” he said of the quarantine waiver.
Thailand recorded 6,929 new COVID-19 infections and 13 deaths as of Monday (1/17). More than 2.3 million people have been infected overall, with 22,000 deaths. [antaranews]
