Thai authorities plan to revise the rules of entry for foreign travelers. The issue will be discussed at a government meeting on Monday, Kingdom Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters.
In particular, officials may close the Test & Go program, which runs in Thailand from November 1. It allows fully vaccinated tourists from 63 countries to enter the kingdom without undergoing mandatory quarantine.
However, the Ministry of Health emphasizes that due to the spread of a new strain of coronavirus Test & Go may actually be the cause of a new wave of pandemics.
So, in December, one of the tourists who arrived in Thailand on the program, a week after the holiday was found omicron. However, after arrival, the results of PCR test in a foreigner did not show the presence of coronavirus. In this regard, the ministry recommends canceling Test & Go or at least reviewing the conditions.
As for the Sandbox, it will continue to operate. However, tourists should take into account the changes made to the regulations of the program last week.
It should be noted that 63 cases of infection with the new strain of COVID-19 have been officially registered in Thailand so far. At the same time, almost all of them are infected – travelers who came to the kingdom from abroad.
“Most of the detected cases of omicron were on arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport. They accounted for a quarter of coronavirus cases detected there. The number of infections has increased rapidly over the past week, in line with the global pandemic situation, ”said Supakit Sirilak, Director General of the Medical Sciences Department of the Ministry of Health.