Bangkok, Dec. 21 (BNA): Bad news for tourists planning a holiday in Thailand in the next few weeks: The government has tightened entry rules again, at least temporarily, due to the spread of the Omicron type of coronavirus, German news agency db reports. .a) .
The quarantine-free “Test & Go” form, under which only fully vaccinated tourists have to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon entry since November and then wait one night at the hotel for the result, will be suspended for two weeks, the prime minister said. Prayut Chan-o-chan on Tuesday after an emergency cabinet meeting.
Vacationers who have already registered for entry under the “Test & Go” form will be exempted from the new rules and allowed to travel to Thailand as planned. However, new registrations will not be accepted for the time being, she said.
Those who still want to come will have to spend seven or 10 days in quarantine – depending on their country of origin and vaccination status. The situation will be reassessed after the January 4th holiday.
The so-called “Sandbox” model will continue on the largest island of Phuket, which has been in operation since July and allows fully vaccinated tourists to take a quarantine-free vacation under certain conditions. It is recommended to obtain detailed information about the rules in force before departure.
According to the health authorities, more than 60 cases of the Omicron variant have been recorded in Thailand so far. The first locally transmitted infection was reported on Monday.
The popular holiday destination reopened its borders to tourists from dozens of countries in early November.
Since then, the influx of international visitors has increased steadily – also because less than 3,000 new infections are currently being recorded per day.
The fear of the spread of the new species is great, especially since Thailand is dependent on the tourism sector.
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