ADVERTISEMENT

NewsThailand

Thailand Authorities Are Considering 7 Days Quarantine for Foreign Tourists

People visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok during the spread of the COVID-19

Thai authorities are looking to shorten the 14-day quarantine for foreign tourists in order to attract more arrivals to the country as the borders open to receive visitors.

In this sense, the Ministry of Public Health has instructed the Disease Control Department (DCD) to design appropriate quarantine periods according to these plans.

Permanent secretary of the ministry, Kiattiphum Wongrajit, said on Wednesday that Thailand is targeting shorter quarantine periods with the aim of encouraging more foreign tourists to visit the territory.

Authorities and government officials are making desperate efforts to relaunch their tourism industry in order to boost their economy again, as it has been in decline since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

Measures against the spread of the virus, such as closing borders, not allowing international travel and confinement, have had negative consequences for the finances of many countries throughout the world.

Thailand has already implemented other strategies aimed at increasing the number of visitors to the country. Currently, it is open to certain groups of Thais, ex-pats, and foreigners (such as diplomats or businessmen) who want to enter the territory. However, all of them must face a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Temperature checking point at Suvarnabhumi Airport

For this reason, the DCD has been tasked with estimating the effectiveness of various periods of preventive quarantine.

A 14-day quarantine has proven to be 100% effective. Now, the department will study the quarantine periods of 12 days, ten days, and seven days to verify their effectiveness.

The Ministry is aiming for a 10-day quarantine, and this is the option it intends to propose to the COVID-19 Situation Management Center in the next two weeks.

Said effectiveness of the shortened quarantine period will be evaluated for one month. After that, if the coronavirus situation remains under control, it will be reduced even more.

However, not all visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the same shortened quarantine. The 14-day quarantine will remain the primary option for high-risk countries, while low-risk countries could be subject to a quarantine of only seven days in the future.

The Thai Government continues developing plans and strategies to boost tourism and recover an economy that has faltered from the impact of COVID-19.