Thailand to Fully Re-Open for Vaccinated Tourists From Low-Risk Countries

The prime minister said that reopening Thailand was necessary to revive the country's tourism sector.

Thailand has been recording 10,000 daily COVID cases. 

(File Photo)

The prime minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-O-Cha, announced on Monday, 11 October, that the country shall fully re-open to vaccinated people from countries that are categorised as low risk, starting from 1 November, The Guardian reported.

Admitting that the "decision comes with some risk", he maintained that the policy was a necessary one to rejuvenate Thailand's tourism industry, that had taken a huge blow due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to BBC.

Thailand considers 10 countries to be "low-risk", some of them being the United Kingdom, the United States, the People's Republic of China, Germany, and Singapore.

On tourists who would be arriving in Thailand, the prime minister said that “when they arrive, they should present a (negative) Covid test ... and test once again upon arrival.”

While India has not been added to the list of 10 "low-risk" countries, Indians can travel to Phuket under the "Phuket Sandbox" scheme.

Under this programme, fully vaccinated tourists from any country in the world can visit Phuket province, but will have to stay there for at least seven days before they can travel to other parts of Thailand with a negative COVID-19 test.

Thailand has been recording an average of more than 10,000 daily COVID cases, despite 48 percent of the population having received at least one dose of the vaccine, while more than 30 percent have received both doses.

In 2020, the country lost approximately $50 billion in revenue from tourism, added the The Guardian.

(With inputs from The Guardian and BBC.)