** There is NO final cut-off date for Test & Go applicants to arrive in Thailand. This is still to be decided **
There has been a lot of confusion about the future of the Test & Go scheme. For sure we know the suspension of new registrations will continue to at least the end of this month. But what is the fate of the thousands who successfully applied for it and are due to arrive this month? Well, according to Khun Natapanu, the deputy spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who spoke during the press briefing, he said that a final decision hadn't been made yet. A senior TAT executive also said that a cut-off date hadn't been decided yet.
However, the Thai media took the 15th January date on the graphics as the final decision and ran with this story. But which story is correct?
So, I decided to ask the Director General of the Department of Information at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He told me that NO final cut off date has been decided yet. However, approved Test and Go registrants will be able to enter until 15th January. They will then reassess the situation over the next few days and will let us know about what will happen to people who are due to arrive after this date. Hopefully they can enter soon as there are only 4,900 people due to arrive in the last two weeks of this month.
The following is his official statement.
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Mr. Tanee Sangrat, Director-General of the Department of Information and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shared the following information regarding adjustments to the measures for entry into Thailand, as confirmed at the meeting held today (7 January 2022) by the Center for COVID Situation Administration (CCSA), namely:
The meeting agreed today, to maintain suspension of registration for Thailand Pass for additional international travelers intending to apply for the Test and Go scheme until further notice. But for those who have already received approvals and their QR Code under the Test and Go scheme before this time, are allowed to enter under previous conditions up until 15 January 2022. For those who have received approvals and a QR code for the Test and Go scheme prior to today and have plans to travel after 15 January 2022, their approvals/status will be evaluated once again.
For those traveling into Thailand through the Sandbox scheme (remaining within the Sandbox area for a total of 7 days) or those who will undergo Alternative Quarantine (7 days for those with a complete dosage of vaccinations and 10 days for those who have not yet received the complete dosage of vaccinations), they are still able to register and enter Thailand under those conditions.
Other than that, from 11 January 2022 onwards, new applications for international travelers entering through the Sandbox scheme will be accepted for three additional Sandbox areas (beyond Phuket), namely Surat Thani Province (Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao), Krabi Province and Pang Nga Province, which have a high level of preparedness in terms of provincial management and public health measures, which will allow access to other areas and also help promote provincial island tourism.
For international travelers from Africa for which there are stricter entry requirements into Thailand, from 11 January 2022 onwards, Thailand will lift the designation of African countries as risky (this includes the previous restriction of international travelers from 8 specific African countries) and allow international travelers from Africa to enter Thailand under the same regular conditions as international travelers from all other continents. Currently, many countries all over the world have also lifted heightened travel restrictions for international travelers from Africa.
Mr. Tanee confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the related ministries have discussed and given thorough consideration to these adjustments, bearing in mind all of the important factors, from the domestic and international COVID-19 situation to public health readiness to the need to relax measures to boost economic activity. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will communicate any further adjustments to the public promptly and in due course.