Thailand NOT opening up to mass tourism until next year - mandatory quarantine to stay in place
TAT file photo for reference only
An interview between Thailand's tourism minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan and the Thai media has poured cold water on plans for quarantine to be scrapped.
And it could be next year's hot season - March at the earliest - before there are any major changes allowing mass tourism.
It looks as though the STV scheme for long term stay is the best there is for now.
PPTV 36 reported that Thai hoteliers and others in the tourism sector had been calling on the government to ditch quarantine and create so-called travel bubble with provinces in China where there had been no Covid for 150 days.
Relationships with countries like Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea and Taiwan in this regard have also been mooted.
But Pipat told the media this was all on hold. He mentioned the concerns of Thailand's prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha who advised caution.
The country will thus continue with opening to businessmen, technical experts, high level workers and those in the medical field for now.
Pipat said that 14 day quarantine would continue for now with many countries still in the grip of the pandemic.
Even China, according to the minister, is advising caution and has suggested waiting until the hot season next year.
Resurgences of the virus in China this month during cooler weather have added to the feeling of caution.
The needs for locals in Thailand to be considered is also paramount.
This comment seemed to pander to the concerns of those worried about the spread of the virus rather than doing anything dynamic to solve the economic woes associated with the downturn in tourism, notes Thai visa.
The PPTV report also quoted Tourism Authority of Thailand marketer Thanet Petchsuwan as agreeing with the minister and suggesting that measures like the special tourist visa - with all its hoops and restrictions - would be the only way to visit Thailand for the foreseeable future.
2 more people have been confirmed as infected with Covid-19in the current mini-outbreak in Northern Thailand. In this case both women who had crossed the Thai/Myanmar border and worked at the same bar in Myanmar as the original patient, feared to be a potential super-spreader. The 29 year old is now being treated at a hospital in Chiang Mai.
Chiang Rai public health officials report that the women, aged 23 and 26, illegally crossed the Burmese border at Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai, from Tachileik, a border town on the Burmese side of the border, last Thursday night.
All 3 went to work in Tachileik last month, but returned to Thailand after Burmese health authorities imposed a curfew from midnight to 4am. There has been between 1,300 1,700 cases announced each day over the past week.
Thai public health officials say the new cases in Chiang Rai didn't visit other public places, but stayed in a local hotel and ordered in food on delivery apps.
"We are less worried about the situation in Chiang Rai because they did not go out," he said.
One of Patient Zero's friends, the 26 year old, decided to get tested on Saturday after the news of her friend's positive test result. Authorities then ordered her 23 year old friend to have a test as well. Both tested positive to Covid-19. Another 4 people have since been identified as "high risk" and are all being tested today. When added to the food delivery and hotel staff, the amount of people considered "at risk" could be up to 30.
Authorities say they will ramp up the border patrols but expect to see more infections coming from the original case in the next few days. Thailand's border with Myanmar is more than 2,000 kilometres long, mostly inaccessible mountainous or forest terrain.
Thailand is the destination with the lowest overall risk (download infographic) and is 600 times safer than the United States. The country reports only five infections per 100,000 people and less than one death per 1 million people. Even now, months after COVID-19 hit Thailand, the population remains extremely disciplined, with most of the population continuing to wear face masks.
Before the pandemic, the "Land of Smiles" was visited by 39.8 million international tourists annually, which made it the eighth most popular tourist destination worldwide. It offers world-famous temples, beaches, islands, and culture.
The safest destinations are all in Southeast Asia. Having been hit by SARS in 2003, the Avian flu in 2004, and MERS in 2015, the citizens of this region have learned their lessons and reacted in exemplary ways.
See the links above for the full report from Lingo Ninja.
Reader Talkback Results: Should health insurance stay mandatory after borders to Thailand open again?
Nigel W-As an expat who has lived here for 7 years, I often hear of people talk openly that they have no health insurance whilst in Thailand. Many of these people are 70+ and have known medical problems. Any illness contracted during their stay creates extra work in the hospitals, with some people unable to pay their bills. This undoubtedly leads to an increased cost for those honest citizens living here. Additionally, with the traffic problems and abundance of accidents, ineffective enforcement of wearing a helmet, many people are injured in motorbike accidents and treated in hospital.
Many see Thailand as a cheap vacation, and come here with little money, insufficient for all eventualities. I would suggest that health insurance is made mandatory, with cover at least 10,000,000 bahtRobert D-Holiday insurance should go back to what it was there people like myself who aren't rich and cant afford 100.000 dollars I'm British and not rich its ridiculous the amount they want I have a girlfriend in chaiyaphum and I'm I'm covid free be in isolation since I come back from pattaya in March I need to get back so we can register our marriage and make marriage arrangements but I can't no planes and insurance price is ridiculous
International Air Transport Association urges countries to stop using quarantine as a control measure for Covid-19, warns of major air industry woes continuing into 2021
World News-
The International Air Transport Association released a statement last week in which they urged countries to stop using quarantines as a control measure for Covid-19 and re-open borders, warning the air industry would suffer well into 2021 and likely not see full recovery until 2024.
"This crisis is devastating and unrelenting. Airlines have cut costs by 45.8 percent, but revenues are down 60.9 percent. The result is that airlines will lose $66 for every passenger carried this year for a total net loss of $118.5 billion. This loss will be reduced sharply by $80 billion in 2021. But the prospect of losing $38.7 billion next year is nothing to celebrate," said IATA Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac.
He added: "We need to get borders safely re-opened without quarantine so that people will fly again. And with airlines expected to bleed cash at least until the fourth quarter of 2021, there is no time to lose."
"The history books will record 2020 as the industry's worst financial year, bar none. Airlines cut expenses by an average of a billion dollars a day over 2020 and yet still rack-up unprecedented losses. If it was not for the $173 billion in financial support by governments, we would have seen bankruptcies on a massive scale," said de Juniac.
"The financial damage of this crisis is severe. Government support has kept airlines alive to this point. More is likely needed as the crisis is lasting longer than anyone could have anticipated. And it must come in forms that do not increase the already high debt load which has ballooned to $651 billion," de Juniac concluded in his statements to the press.
The Pattaya News notes that Thailand has stuck hard by its current plan for quarantine for all who enter the country as the Kingdom is following an elimination strategy, not a suppression one, to control the virus. It is highly unlikely the quarantine will end any time before vaccines are rolled out throughout the country, according to statements by the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan O' Cha last week.
The IATA has also stated they do not see travel returning to pre pandemic levels until 2024, with domestic travel recovering before international travel.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says it is in the final development phase of the IATA Travel Pass, a digital health certificate that will support the safe reopening of borders and contribute to a speedy recovery of the airline industry worldwide from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Governments are beginning to use testing as a means of limiting the risks of Covid-19 when reopening their borders without imposing quarantines on travellers. The Travel Pass will verify the secure flow of necessary testing and vaccine information among governments, airlines, laboratories and travellers.
It follows Thailand's agreement with AstraZeneca that secured the kingdom access to the company's Covid-19 vaccine and authorised a local manufacturer to produce it.
The IATA, meanwhile, called for systematic Covid-19 testing of all international travellers at its 76th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Nov 24, which resolved to urgently call on governments to reopen borders to travel.
The trade association of world's airlines has revised its outlook for the airline industry in 2020 and 2021, saying deep losses will continue next year, even though performance is expected to improve over the coming months.
A net loss of US$118.5 billion (3.6 trillion baht) is expected for 2020 (worse than the US$84.3 billion forecast in June) while a net loss of US$38.7 billion is expected in 2021.
Improvements are expected in the second half of 2021 after a difficult first half. Aggressive cost-cutting may combine with increased demand during 2021 to see the industry turn cash-positive in the fourth quarter of 2021, which is earlier than previously forecast, according to the IATA.
"Today, borders are double locked. Testing is the first key to enable international travel without quarantine measures," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's director-general and CEO. "The second key is the global information infrastructure needed to securely manage, share and verify test data matched with travellers' identities in compliance with border control requirements. That's the job of the IATA Travel Pass.
"We are bringing this to market in the coming months to also meet the needs of the various travel bubbles and public health corridors that are starting operation."
The Travel Pass incorporates interoperable modules which include a contactless travel app which enables passengers to create a "digital passport"; receive test and vaccination certificates and verify that they are sufficient for their itinerary; and share testing or vaccination certificates with airlines and authorities to facilitate travel.
The IATA and International Airlines Group (IAG) have been collaborating in the project and will arrange a trial to demonstrate that this pass, combined with Covid-19 testing, can reopen international travel and replace quarantines, which they say "essentially kill demand for air travel".
"Our main priority is to get people travelling again safely," said Nick Careen, the Association's Senior Vice President.
Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com continues to follow the difficult journey of the Thai hospitality industry. Traditionally, now would be the start of the country's highly profitable high season for the tourism industry. But not this year. Thai hotels find themselves in the middle of an existential crisis – either still closed, only partly open, or one of the few converted to limited ASQ traffic. The situation is dire, when you consider that between 15-20% of Thailand's GDP is linked to tourism.
In a speech this week Thailand's Prime Minster Prayut Chan-o-cha spoke clearly that only when a vaccine is approved, produced, and implemented, would the country open to substantial tourism. Given the current timelines and forecasts, this may not be likely until mid-2021 at the earliest, though subject to advancement if the process could be accelerated, which is unlikely.
For tourism and hotel stakeholders, the writing is on the wall that 2021, for the most part, will see a continued reliance on domestic travellers, and only in 2022 will there be a large-scale return in numbers of overseas visitors.
Given the winter spike in Asia, Europe, and North America of Covid-19, Thailand is not alone in relying on the vaccine to return tourism but the process will not be instant and the re-openings of borders will most certainly be staged.
HERE's a list of 113 Alternative State Quarantine hotels.
The business reality for Phuket and across Thailand is to plan for the worst in the coming six months and only expect 2022 to see a notable uptick.
Currently, the hotel sector continues to advocate to the Thai government and Central Bank for debt and financing relief measures and assistance in a social security supplement to retain staff.
While it's negative news, it at least allows for hotels to understand the challenges ahead, plan and adjust their operating models going forward. 'Survive the downturn' is the new mantra.
The world was laughing at #Thailand after the Asian News Network broadcast a report revealing a traffic sign reading 'If You Are DRUNK – Drive SLOWLY'
Whilst the rest of the civilised world applies strict drink driving laws it appears that in Thailand the subject is still something of a joke.
ANN claims to have contacted officials in Nakorn Ratchasima to be told that drink driving is IMPOSSIBLE to stop in Thailand and that the best they can do is appeal for drunk drivers to try and drive responsibly.
Japanese news reported the story using the headline 'Media From the Land of Confused.'
In the four days between Dec 27 – 31 over 18,000 drunk drivers were arrested throughout the Kingdom.
Suriyan Hongvilai, spokesman of the Office, said courts had been flooded by drunk driving cases during the 'Seven Dangerous Days' of the New Year period.
On New Year's Eve alone, 8,744 drunk drivers were arrested and sent to court. The two other charges keeping courts busy over the holiday period were driving without a licence (2,947 cases) and driving under the influence of drugs (259), he said.
Despite a campaign to deter drivers, drunk driving was once again a prime culprit in the holiday road carnage, accounting for 32.29% of all accidents.
This was followed by speeding (29.5%), and cutting off other motorists (15.6%), according to the Road Safety Directing Centre (RSDC), a task force created by the government.
Veera Khengkasikarn, a Ministry of Education inspector and RSDC president, said motorcycle riders and elderly drivers were the most common victims.
Motorcycles were involved in 80.9% of crashes, while road users aged over 50 accounted for 25% of victims.
A total of 256 have been killed and 2,588 injured in 2,529 road accidents nationwide from Dec 27 to 31, Mr Veera said yesterday.
But the Drive Slowly Whilst DRUNK message appears to be working as the New Year death toll fell slightly from last year and injuries are significantly lower than on an average day, according to Mr Veera. – Sanook
The Royal Gazette published an announcement on Sept 8 from the PM's Office prohibiting the sale of alcoholic drinks via electronic channels. The ban comes into force 90 days after that announcement.
The ban will include direct selling, attempts to persuade and introduce alcoholic products online, but it will not include electronic payments, meaning e-wallets can still be used to purchase alcoholic beverages at retail stores.
Violators will be subject to up to six months in prison and/or a fine of up to 10,000 baht.
According to the law, the sale of alcoholic drinks is prohibited to people under 20 and those who are already intoxicated.
The national committee on alcoholic drinks held a meeting on Friday chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
He said the committee considered drafting guidelines to be launched when the ban becomes effective.
The committee is also preparing a road safety campaign with the slogan "Drink don't drive, drive don't drink" ahead of the New Year festival.
The department of hygiene has warned restaurants and food preparers of all kinds in Thailand to smarten up their cleanliness of face fines of 50,000 baht from December 16th.
Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, acting department chief, said that since new health ministry regulations were issued in 2018 all restaurants were supposed to report for training by the end of 2020.
However he admitted that many out of 500,000 establishments had not reported for training.
The training includes the way food is prepared, the ingredients that are permitted and general cleanliness of locations and personnel among many other factors.
Now Daily News reported that those restaurants who had done nothing to address the issue over the last few years needed to act.
With time running out measures would be announced at the end of next week to clear up the backlog. – Daily News
Many elderly expats settled in Thailand for life, or so they assumed.
Thousands of elderly expats are concerned about the prospects for their one year extensions of stay, based on retirement, as Thai embassies abroad appear to be insisting on two insurance policies to return to Thailand. Many are fearful of leaving Thailand in case they don't qualify to return.
All entrants to Thailand, as is well known, now require Covid-19 insurance to the value of US$100,000 (just over 3 million baht) as part of the package of documents they require to obtain the certificate of entry from their local Thai embassy. This insurance is very easy to obtain online from the Thai General Insurance Association which levies a straight fee dependent, not on the age of the applicant as long as he or she is 0-99 years, but on the country of departure. As an example, a 12-months policy costs 23,040 baht if travelling from UK, or 4,480 baht for a two months' tourist holiday. No matter whether you are 9 years old or 90.
A group of older farang tourists, shown in pre-pandemic times.
For most categories able to apply to come to Thailand – diplomats, business people, work permit holders, students, Elite visa holders, some property owners, farang with Thai dependants, film crews, tourists with a two months visa, etc., etc., – there is no further insurance requirement. The only necessity is cover for future coronavirus infection. Not hospitalization cover for any other reason.
However, a few categories do require an additional insurance for general (non-Covid) medical purposes to the value of 400,000 baht (inpatient) and 40,000 baht (outpatient). This requirement was introduced in 2019 for holders of the "O/A" one year visa, based on retirement, issued by Thai embassies abroad. As these retirees have tried to extend for a further year at Thai immigration, they have been told to obtain such insurance from a Thai company. The problem, of course, is that the Thai insurers do not welcome elderly foreigners trying to insure comprehensively for the first time. True, some companies will consider applications from those in their 70s, but usually require a comprehensive medical report and detailed questionnaire. Exclusions and get-out clauses are common and are hardly surprising.
The additional general medical insurance requirement also applies to the "O/X" ten-year visa (an expensive and complex choice) as well as the recently-announced Special Tourist Visa (STV), but that particular option is restricted to applicants from countries with low infection rates which rules out US, UK and most of Europe. Over the past two weeks, many Thai embassies have added the second insurance requirement to those seeking an "O" one year visa for retirement. The inference is that applicants will need Covid-19 insurance and a separate policy for other potential sickness.
Pattaya expat Charles Williams, who is 78, summed up the dilemmas. "I have an annual extension of stay, based on an "O" visa given to me five years ago at the local immigration. I do not need any kind of insurance to renew it. But if I leave Thailand and want to return, I am likely to run into the double whammy of needing two insurance policies. The Covid 19 one is no problem as it is available cheaply to anyone up to 99 years, but the general medical cover will be impossible for me at my age and with my heart condition. I do have my own British insurance but have been advised that the rule is now Thai policies only."
If retirees leave Thailand, what are their options to return?
The net result is that Charles fears leaving the country because of problems ahead with the Thai embassy and wonders whether he will have to remain in Thailand for the rest of his life or lose his right to stay here.
Another elderly expat, American James Montgomery, said he was considering changing his status from retiree to Elite visa holder which would enable him to return to Thailand with coronavirus insurance only. There is no requirement then to have general medical insurance. James is currently applying for a five year Elite visa for 500,000 baht, knowing that the price rises to 600,000 baht in the new year.
A third expat from Norway said he was looking into the option, if he went abroad, of using his purchase of a condominium as the basis for a return visa instead of relying on his retirement extension.
It should be noted that each Thai embassy abroad is responsible for the content of its website. There are ambiguities. Thus the Thai embassy in London suggests that those who hold a current (not expired) "O" visa and a valid re-entry permit might be able to return with Covid-19 insurance only. But the embassies in Switzerland and in Denmark specifically rule out this loophole.
The whole confusion has likely arisen because several government agencies are involved in visa regulations: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (which runs the embassies), the Thai immigration bureau (which can issue "O" visas and annual extensions) and the Tourist Authority of Thailand (which regularly publishes visa updates). The time for them to start talking together is already overdue. No question about that.
Thailand is the first country in the world to provide quarantine arrangements as accommodation packages for arrivals. (Photo – Jomtien beach beer bars on a Saturday night)
A new service allowing international visitors to Thailand to conveniently book their quarantine accommodation as easily as booking a hotel stay, using Agoda's platform prior to travel is now active.
Deputy Minister of Public Health, Satit Pitutacha said the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has developed an online booking platform for approved quarantine facilities in Thailand with Agoda, making Thailand the first country in the world to provide quarantine arrangements as accommodation packages for arrivals.
Deputy Minister of Public Health, Satit Pitutacha said today the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has developed an online booking platform for approved quarantine facilities in Thailand with Agoda.
This platform will help both approved international visitors to Thailand and returning Thai nationals to book their stay at one of the certified Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facilities.
The platform, now available in 39 languages, allows users to check for available rooms at each facility, compare room types, rates, and other services and facilities, with a swift and secure booking and payment process.
Currently, there are about 37 hotels and other places of accommodation offering quarantine packages on this platform, with 100 more establishments outside Bangkok expected to be listed soon.
So far, 113 hotels and other accommodation, have been certified as ASQ facilities in Thailand including ones at major tourist destinations like Pattaya and Phuket. Their businesses are expected to generate 1.2 billion in income.
The new quarantine package booking platform is expected to help attract 30,000 more international visitors to Thailand, generating some 1 billion baht in revenue for the country. (NNT)
No end in sight: Security officials say anti-govt protests will continue next month
Anti-government protesters arrive at the Bang Na intersection on Saturday. (Bangkok Post pthoto)
Internal security officials have assessed that anti-government rallies will drag on well into next month as symbolic days on the calendar are set to galvanise the movement.
Security agencies have been preparing to cope with a rise in anti-government activities, said Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, a secretary to PM's Office Minister Anucha Nakasai, on Saturday.
On Wednesday, the Constitutional Court will pass a ruling on whether Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is guilty of occupying a house meant for military officials, Mr Thanakorn said.
The PM is accused by the opposition of a conflict of interest by continuing to occupy an army residence, a privilege his critics said should have ended with his tenure as army chief in 2014.
Another important event is Constitution Day on Dec 10, Mr Thanakorn said.
A new charter, the resignation of Gen Prayut as premier and monarchy reform are being demanded by the protesters.
The security officials also ruled out the possibility of a military coup to defuse the political tension, Mr Thanakorn said.
Pol Maj Gen Piya Tawichai, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB), said protesters on Saturday gathered near the Imperial World Samrong shopping mall in Samut Prakan before marching to the Bang Na intersection to rally. They partially occupied the road.
The organisers did not obtain permission to stage the rally, said Pol Col Kissana Phathanacharoen, deputy spokesman for the national police.
Protesters converged outside the mall at 4pm and made their way to the intersection at 7pm.
A parallel rally was also held in Nonthaburi, where Shinawat "Bright" Chankrachang led protesters to the provincial hall at 4pm and occupied the nearby Kae Rai intersection. The protesters were confronted by an angry motorist who berated them for closing the intersection.
Near the Bang Na intersection, some protesters spray-painted traffic police kiosks with messages criticising the police for "ditching the people" and smashed kiosk windows.
On Saturday, the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration group announced a protest will take place outside the 1st Infantry Battalion on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Phaya Thai district today.
Meanwhile, an investigation into the shooting at the rally site near the Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) head office last Wednesday night has made progress, according to police. Police said they have arrested a suspect on charges of attempted murder, shooting in public without reason and carrying firearms in public.
Also, Panusaya "Rung" Sithijirawattanakul, a protest leader, on Saturday posted on Facebook saying she has been summoned for allegedly violating Section 112 of the Criminal Code.
She believes the summons is linked to the Sept 10 anti-government rally.
A shopping mall and a bar in Chiang Mai have been closed while anxious officials test more than 300 people for Covid-19.
The urgent action follows the revelation that a 29-year-old Thai woman caught the virus in Myanmar and despite going down with a fever, returned to Thailand and visited several places before finally going to hospital and testing positive for the coronavirus. She was able to do so without entering quarantine, which has alarmed the authorities.
The Department of Disease Control (DDC) said it will take two weeks to establish whether the woman is a super-spreader after it discovered that she came into contact with at least 326 people. The DDC added that strong legal action must be applied in this case after finding that she was not in the quarantine system.
Opas Kankawinpong, acting chief of the DDC, said on Saturday the timeline of the woman's movements was quite clear: she was infected while in Myanmar from Oct 24 to Nov 23, when she began to develop a fever and diarrhoea.
The DDC's Chiang Mai provincial committee says the woman entered the country illegally on Nov 24 through a natural border in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district and took a public bus the same day to her condo in Chiang Mai.
Later she met her friends at a pub in the Santitham area, and also went shopping at CentralFestival Chiang Mai, even while suffering from the fever.
CCTV camera footage shows she wore a face mask at least some of the time she was in public areas.
"My big question is why she didn't attend the quarantine system. All returnees must enter the 14-day quarantine with no exception," said Dr Opas.
"Illegally entering Thailand carries a heavy punishment. It will be necessary to apply all immigration and public health laws in this case. It is dangerous to the community and the country. We need all stakeholders to prevent it."
Dr Opas also urged people to contact authorities immediately if they knew of anyone who was breaking the laws in this regard. The infected woman was tested for the virus on Nov 26 and admitted to Nakornping Hospital, Chiang Mai.
According to the DDC, she was admitted suffering from a fever and had lost her sense of smell, a common symptom found in Covid-19 patients.
A disease investigation team found that 105 people are at high risk of contracting the virus from the woman, including friends that shared a cigarette with her, 40 bus passengers, 55 bar staff and six people from the department store.
A further 140 people are regarded as being at low risk: 138 from department stores, two from the pub, nine medical staff and 72 around the community.
Sophon Iamsirithavorn, director of the Division of Communicable Diseases, said the investigative team had since Thursday contacted those people at highest risk and put them under 14-day surveillance. He suggested anyone who thinks she came into contact with her should be alert for any sign of a fever or be tested for the virus at a nearby hospital.
CentralFestival Chiangmai closed for a major cleaning operation on Saturday and will reopen today.
Meanwhile, the Chiang Mai Municipality on Saturday sprayed chemicals into pubs along the Santitham area to kill the virus and ordered them to shut for a while. Chiang Rai governor Prajol Pratsakul said he had made contact with various agencies to prevent illegal entry along the border but does not yet know how the woman sneaked into the country.
