Whether Thailand’s travel restrictions continue to be eased to help the struggling tourism sector will depend on the Covid-19 situation after the Songkran holiday next week.
Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesperson for the Covid-19 Situation Administration Center, said a CCSA meeting on Friday April 8 agreed on the need for friendlier measures to attract tourists.
The easing of travel restrictions in Thailand may become more flexible depending on whether new infections increase after the Thai New Year holiday.
Dr Taweesilp said the CCSA had “agreed in principle but did not approve” the measures tentatively scheduled for May.
The spokesman said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who chaired the meeting, wanted to assess the infection situation after the long break. “The prime minister wants to see the (Covid) numbers after Songkran,” he said.
The rate of new infections due to tourists entering Thailand since the beginning of the month will also be taken into account.
Restrictions have been gradually eased since November last year, to help the tourism sector. Last week, the government scrapped the requirement to carry out a pre-travel RT-PRC test for air travelers from April 1. They are always subjected to an RT-PCR test on arrival.
About 470,000 foreign tourists arrived in the first quarter of this year, surpassing last year’s total number of 420,000, according to the CCSA.
The spokesperson admitted that the existing measures do not allow Thailand to compete with other countries which also depend on international tourism.
Dr Taweesilp said the next CCSA plenary meeting after Songkran would decide when further restrictions could be lifted.
Changes tentatively planned for next month include the requirement to provide fewer documents to register for the Thailand Pass, a shorter quarantine period and a reduction in the health insurance coverage requirement of US$20,000.
The date of the meeting has not been set, he said.
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