Permanent Secretary for Public Health Kiattiphum Wongrajit said the government is ready to mark Thailand’s post-pandemic era on Friday.
On Monday, Dr. Kiattiphum said the Public Health Ministry would stick to its schedule to bring the country into what authorities have described as the post-pandemic era on July 1.
The permanent secretary for health admitted that infections linked to the two new Covid-19 subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 had been logged. However, he insisted that hospitals have not seen an increase in severe cases requiring hospitalization, suggesting that neither subvariant causes more severe symptoms.
“What we expect to see is only small or medium clusters that will not do any harm to our public health service. The disease will be under control,” he went on.
After the World Health Organization (WHO) downgrades Covid-19 to the endemic category, the Public Health Ministry will also reconsider the state’s responsibility to treat those who catch the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Thai authorities believe the country’s travel and tourism industry will also see a boost from next month. Deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisaranakul has predicted that the number of foreign arrivals in Thailand could exceed 10 million this year.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has asked all airlines and airport executives to increase flights and hire more staff to cope with an expected increase in international visitors after the government officially removes the Thailand Pass registration requirement on Friday.
Ms. Traisulee has also called on tourism-related business operators to join state agencies in helping the industry get back on its feet through promotional campaigns to attract more tourists.
“The relaxation of restrictions and the promotional activities will create a major impact and help revitalize the tourism industry more quickly,” she added.
Since entry restrictions were eased, from January 1 to June 26, Thailand has received 2.03 million foreign tourists. Most arrivals came from India (220,962), followed by Malaysia (184,782), the United Kingdom (121,328), Singapore (121,264), and the United States (102,964), Ms. Traisulee went on.
