Thailand announced its plans to fully reopen to vaccinated tourists from abroad by mid-October this year. By Cailey Rizzo
“I know this decision comes with some risk because, when we open the country, there will be an increase in infections, no matter how good our precautions,” Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha said, according to the Associated Press (AP). “But I think when we take into consideration the economic needs of the people, the time has come for us to take that calculated risk.”
PM Chan-o-cha introduced a plan to allow fully vaccinated foreigners and returning Thai citizens into the country “without quarantine or other inconvenient restrictions” within 120 days. Currently, foreign visitors must quarantine for at least seven days when visiting Thailand–but the country has several glamorous options to do so in style.
Thailand has been experiencing a surge in Coronavirus cases since April, according to the AP, causing about 80% of its total 204,595 confirmed cases and about 90% of the total 1,525 deaths.
Only about 7% of the country’s population of 69 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine. PM Chan-o-cha said Thailand has secured more vaccines and that by early October at least 50 million people should have received at least their first shot. (A few Thai travel agencies have been selling “vaccine tours” to the US for Thai citizens.)
Next month, a trial programme will allow fully vaccinated foreign tourists to visit Phuket in Thailand without a mandatory quarantine period. However, travellers will be required to stay in Phuket for at least 14 days before heading to mainland Thailand.
Thailand’s reopening plans have shifted dramatically over the past few months. In March, the tourism industry launched a campaign with hopes to bring international tourists back to Thailand by July 1.
Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or caileyrizzo.com.
Editor’s Note: Keeping the current situation of the pandemic in mind, T+L India recommends every reader to stay safe and take all government-regulated precautions in case travel at this time is absolutely necessary. Please follow our stories on COVID-19 for all the latest travel guidelines.
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