Status: 10/12/2021 10:43 a.m.
Thailand is easing its corona-related entry requirements. From November 1st, the country will open its borders to fully vaccinated people from at least ten countries – including Germany.
From November 1, tourists can again go on quarantine-free holidays in Thailand – provided they are fully vaccinated and come from a country classified as safe by the government.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced in a televised address that a total of at least ten countries with low corona incidence were on the list. In addition to Germany, this also includes the USA, Singapore and China. Vacationers only need to do one PCR test before they leave and another when they arrive in Thailand, Prayut said. After that, they could travel freely to all parts of the country.
“Prepare to Live With the Disease”
More countries are to be added from December 1st. Then the serving of alcohol in restaurants, which has been banned for months, will probably be allowed again.
Vaccinated travelers from all other countries have to remain in quarantine for another seven days – or they take part in model projects in certain regions, such as on the islands of Phuket and Ko Samui. As part of the programs, in which some strict rules have to be followed, quarantine-free holidays for travelers with double vaccinations from numerous countries have been possible again since July.
“It is time we prepared to face the coronavirus and live with it as we would with other endemic infections and diseases,” said Prime Minister Prayut. The opening for some countries is now “a first small but important step” to give many Thais back their livelihood.
Infection numbers are falling again
Because Thailand has long been hoping for a restart of the extremely important tourism sector. The industry has been almost completely devastated for a year and a half. Since then, many people have lost their income.
The Southeast Asian country has long been considered a model state in the fight against the pandemic – until the numbers suddenly rose massively this April due to the contagious Delta variant. In August, the authorities reported more than 20,000 new cases a day.
In the meantime, the number of infections is falling again: Today the authorities reported around 9,400 new infections and 84 deaths in connection with Covid-19.