Passengers check in at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, January 11.(Photo: XINHUA/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand willresume the Test and Go scheme from February 1 and apply the programme to allcountries and territories in the world instead of being limited to 63 countriesand territories as before, according to the country’s Centre for COVID-19 SituationAdministration (CCSA).
Under the original scheme, which wassuspended on January 7 following a surge in new COVID-19 cases and the emergence ofthe Omicron variant, fully vaccinated foreign tourists were required to book ahotel room for just one night. They were allowed to travel freely after testingnegative via RT-PCR on check-in at their hotel. But under the updated scheme, fullyvaccinated travellers are required to take COVID-19 tests on the first andfifth days after their arrival.
They will have to isolate themselves at a hotel while waiting for their testresults and will be asked to download a tracking app to ensure they comply withthe rules.
Also from February 1, theCCSA agreed to expand the "sandbox"tourism model to Trat and Chonburi provinces, along with previouslyapproved areas namely Phuket, Krabi, Pang Nga and Surat.
The COVID-19 situation isshowing positive changes as the number of new infections increases but is stillunder control, the CCSA said at a meeting on January 20. The fatalities and those with severe complications werelower as compared to the Delta variant. Thus, theagency decided to ease restrictions from January 24. The number of controlledor “orange-zone” provinces will be reduced from 69 to 44 while the number ofprovinces put under the highly monitored list will rise to 25.
Thailand also eased regulations for restaurants, allowingalcoholic drinks to be served until 11pm every day instead of 9pm. However,bars and nightclubs must remain closed.
The above-mentioned moves are taken by the ThaiGovernment to revive the tourism industry that has been heavily affected by thepandemic.
Visitors to Thailand last yearwere about 0.5 percent of the pre-pandemic figure, which hit a record of nearly40 million in 2019. Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry estimates that some 5 million foreign visitors will come to Thailand in 2022./.
