Disinfecting the environment in Bangkok capital of Thailand (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Thailand is considering COVID-19 vaccine passports and quarantineexemption in an effort to boost the ailing tourism sector as inoculation rolledout worldwide, China’s Xinhua News Agency has reported.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the foreignministry to conduct a study into the vaccine passports. "If we decide tounveil the plan, China will be among the first countries that we're going tonegotiate with," Thai Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said in anexclusive interview with Xinhua.
Preliminary plan will involve issuing certifications forinoculated visitors to Thailand, lifting them from the two-week mandatoryquarantines and relaxing some restrictive measures, said Wissanu, adding thatequal treatment will be required from other countries for inoculated Thai visitors.
However, he said the Thai government still needs time to go throughdetails and specific measures for implementation.
Thailand welcomed about 40 million foreign visitors in 2019, butonly 6.7 million trickled in last year. The Southeast Asia's second-largesteconomy contracted 6.1 percent year on year last year in its sharpest declinesince 1998.
The Bank of Thailand, the country's central bank, has seentourism sector, which accounts for more than 15 percent of Thailand's economy,as a key to economic recovery./.
