Thailand's private sector backs proposed Test & Go reinstatement

Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce Sanan Angubolkul (Photo: thainews.prd.go.th)

Bangkok (NNT/VNA) - The business sector in Thailand is urging the government to reinstate the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme to attract more tourists, as continued suspension of this program would spell significant economic loss.

The Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) has released its projection on the suspension of Thailand’s Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme, saying the inspection would result in a revenue loss of 5-9 billion baht per month, based on an estimate of 80,000-180,000 monthly visitors under this scheme.

TCC Chairman Sanan Angubolkul said the scheme had allowed tourism businesses to recover from the pandemic, with the number of international visitors jumping from around 15,000 people per month to 218,788 persons in December last year.

With the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the government has decided to suspend this scheme in the interest of safety.

Mr. Sanan is encouraging the government to reinstate this entry scheme to help the tourism sector, with certain rules amended in line with the current situation, such as more frequent testing.

The TCC has also proposed that the government reduce the interprovincial travel prohibition period for visitors arriving at one of the Sandbox areas from 7 to 3-5 days, once the local COVID-19 situation improves. This will allow tourists to have more time and freedom to travel around./.

VNA