torsdag 3 februari 2022

đŸ‡č🇭 THAI NEWS REPORTS: Between 28th February 2021 and 30th January 2022, 2,154,803 foreigners received at least one jab of the vaccine which is estimated to be 45.39% of the foreign population. In total, 4,320,076 doses have been given to foreigners living in. Richard Barrow



60,000 Register to Visit Thailand After 'Test & Go' Resumes - Bangkok Herald

60,000 Register to Visit Thailand After 'Test & Go' Resumes

Thaialnd pass website

More than 60,000 people registered on the Thailand Pass website to visit Thailand after the "Test & Go" entry scheme resumed Tuesday.

Tourism Authority of Thailand Gov. Yuthasak Supasorn said Wednesday most of those registering were Europeans hoping to escape winter and stay comfortable in Thailand from this month until April.

Other registrants included tourists from Russia, Germany, France and Britain and their qualified applications would be approved within seven days, he said.

During past Covid-19 outbreaks, beautiful natural attractions were rehabilitated and were attracting travelers, Yuthasak said. He believed that tourism would be active again at tourist destinations and local communities in provinces.

The TAT governor expected the country to welcome 8-15 million visitors and local tourists to make about 160 million trips this year.

The country should then generate 1.12 trillion baht from tourism including 630 billion baht from visitors, Mr Yuthasak said.






As the calendar moves inexorably towards March 25, the last day of Covid-related extensions of stay, new international tourists are discovering that they cannot obtain an extra 60 days by that particular route. Pattaya Mail

New arrivals in Thailand denied Covid extensions

Covid extensions are no longer an option for arriving passengers.

As the calendar moves inexorably towards March 25, the last day of Covid-related extensions of stay, new international tourists are discovering that they cannot obtain an extra 60 days by that particular route.



Those arriving with 30 days visa exempt – mostly Brits and mainland Europeans – can later obtain a further month's extension at Thai immigration. But this discretion will then push them past the deadline of March 25 for the Coviod-related discretion. Those landing here with a 60 days tourist visa, obtained via embassies prior to departure, are entitled to a further 30 days extension. This, again, will push them past the final date for the Covid discretion.

Separately, the immigration bureau announced last month that holders of three months' non-immigrant visas of any kind were no longer eligible for the Covid-related discretion. Many were then given only an extension of seven days, which is in effect a notice to quit the kingdom. The justification offered for the policy was that the ongoing Covid extensions, introduced in April 2020, were designed specifically to help stranded tourists and not those visiting for other reasons such as family, study or alleged voluntary work.



Some visa agents are still advertising extravagantly that they can obtain 60 days Covid extensions to anyone until the expiry on March 25. Whilst it is true that extensions of stay are always a matter for individual immigration offices, "special cases" will not be available for a sign-up of the usual extension fee of 1,900 baht. That's for sure.

A spokesperson for the Tourist Authority of Thailand pointed out that the Test and Go application procedure permitted only 30 days visa exempt: tourists intending to stay for more than two months needed to obtain a separate visa in advance according to his or her travel plans.


Chonburi announces 399 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 and one new death - The Pattaya News

Chonburi announces 399 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 and one new death

Highlights:

  • 399 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Chonburi today

  • 313 people recovered and were released from medical care

  • One new death

The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 399 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today with one new death, February 3rd, 2022.

This makes a total of 18,507 cases of Covid-19 in the current round of infections, with 3,913 people still under medical care/supervision, and with a total of 24 recorded deaths in Chonburi since the start of this recent round of infections at the beginning of this year, January 2022.

Additionally, 313 people were also released and recovered yesterday in Chonburi. 14,570 people in total have now been released from medical care and recovered in Chonburi since this current wave of Covid-19 began at the beginning of this year, January 2022.

The one new death was at the age of 84 with personal health problems and pre-existing conditions. The person received a double dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Two people were listed as being in serious condition in Chonburi currently, either on a ventilator or pneumoniaOne of them was vaccinated. According to the Chonburi Department of Public Health, the vast majority of recent cases are mild or asymptomatic.

In total, 1,948,700 people in Pattaya and Chonburi have received their first dose of a Covid -19 vaccine which is 83.67 percent of the total Chonburi population. Of those, 301,631 have received their first dose and are what the Thai government calls 608 groups (elders, have chronic health problems, and pregnant) which is 81.54 percent of those in these risk groups in Chonburi.

The district-level new cases were as follows today:

Mueang Chonburi 95, Si Racha 106, Banglamung (Pattaya) 90, Panat Nikhom 7, Sattahip 34, Ban Bueng 3, Phan Thong 22, ฺBor Thong 1, Ko Chan 5, Nong Yai 1, and 35 people transferred from other provinces for medical care.

The details on the cases are as follows:

  1. Work and stayed in Rayong, transferred from other provinces for medical care, 33 cases
  2. Cluster, Fujitsu General company in Si Racha, 4 cases
  3. Risky occupations meeting many people, 16 cases
  4. 3 medical personnel
  5. 7  back from other provinces from Bangkok (3), Chachoengsao (1), Lampang (1), Sisaket (1), and Rayong (1)
  6. Close contacts from previously confirmed cases in families – 120 cases, in workplaces –42 cases, close personal contacts – 29 cases, and joined a party – 2 case
  7. Close contacts of a confirmed patient (under investigation), 12 cases
  8. 131 cases close contacts of a confirmed patient (under investigation)


Phuket ups tests on foreign visitors. Prompted by large numbers of tourists testing positive for Covid-19 upon arrival, Phuket on Wednesday switched to imposing a repeat RT-PCR Covid-19 test on international tourists arriving under the quarantine-free Test & Go scheme. Bangkok Post

Phuket ups tests on foreign visitors
Visitors arrive at Phuket airport. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)
Visitors arrive at Phuket airport. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)

Prompted by large numbers of tourists testing positive for Covid-19 upon arrival, Phuket on Wednesday switched to imposing a repeat RT-PCR Covid-19 test on international tourists arriving under the quarantine-free Test & Go scheme.

Phuket has now issued a new order requiring all Test & Go tourists to undergo a repeat RT-PCR Covid-19 test on the fifth day of their stay in Thailand, in addition to the first test upon arrival, said provincial chief health officer Dr Koosak Kookiatkul on Wednesday.

"This means Test & Go tourists coming to Phuket will have to pay for their two Covid-19 tests and book their hotel rooms on the first and fifth days in advance," Dr Koosak said.

"In case they test negative for Covid-19 in the first test, they may undergo the second test and stay in a hotel while waiting for the test result of the repeat test," he added.

The infection rate for the first test found in international tourists arriving in Phuket was 2%, while the result of a repeat test showed the infection rate had climbed as high as 4-5%, which were mostly cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, he said.

On Tuesday, the first day Thailand resumed its Test & Go scheme, Phuket welcomed 17 Test & Go tourists and 2,439 others via its tourism sandbox programme, according to the province's immigration office. The province recorded 493 new Covid-19 infections, 387 of which were local cases, two in the Test & Go scheme and the other 104 were in the Phuket Sandbox programme, said Dr Koosak.

The province was concerned that the high infection rate among visitors from Russia and Kazakhstan would badly hit the tourism industry, said Phuket governor Narong Woonciew.

Of the about 300 new Covid-19 infections recorded daily, about 100 were foreign visitors arriving mainly from those two nations, he said. "Russian tourists account for a vast majority of international tourists arriving in Thailand through Phuket," the governor said.

"For three years now we've been trying to control Covid-19 while also trying to ease economic hardships faced by the people," he added.