By Paul Rujopakarn
BANGKOK (NNT) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced important updates for applicants registering for entry into Thailand. Following a surge in Omicron coronavirus cases, the government has suspended the Test & Go and Sandbox applications - with the exception of the Phuket Sandbox program - from the Thailand Pass system until further notice.
According to the new updates, applicants who have already obtained their Thailand Pass QR code are eligible to enter the Kingdom under the plan for which they have registered. Registered applicants who have not yet received their QR code must wait for their Thailand Pass application to be considered and approved. They will be allowed entry under the program for which they have registered after they have been accepted.
New applicants must apply for entry with Thailand Pass through the Phuket Sandbox scheme or Alternative Quarantine (AQ) packages. Travelers arriving in Thailand through the Test & Go and Sandbox programs must take a second COVID-19 test using the RT-PCR method (not the ATK/antigen self-test) at government-designated facilities at no extra cost.
Applicants will be required to enter quarantine after arriving in Thailand. Fully vaccinated people entering the Kingdom under the Phuket Sandbox program will have to stay in the area for 7 days after their arrival. Applicants entering via AQ scheme are required to enter quarantine for 10 days at government-designated locations.
Tanee Sangrat, director-general of the Department of Information and a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said related agencies will conduct a thorough assessment of the situation. He added that the ministry will provide any new updates as soon as possible and emphasized that the revised measures are only temporary and are aimed at preventing the spread of the Omicron variant.
