BANGKOK – Thailand will reintroduce Covid-19 entry requirements for foreigners flying into the country from Monday, the nation’s transport minister said, as the South-east Asian nation prepares for an expected wave of tourists from China.
The Thai Public Health Ministry has been looking into ways to safely welcome Chinese tourists.
To prevent one nationality from being targeted, the ministry resolved that all foreign arrivals will have to prove they have been vaccinated.
Adults must show proof of at least two vaccinations, or recovery from the virus since July, according to comments from Saksayam Chidchob published on the minister’s political party’s Website.
Unvaccinated visitors will need a medical report justifying their lack of inoculations, a Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand statement posted on site said. The rules apply until Jan 31.
Additionally, visitors from countries that require Covid-19 tests for arrivals from Thailand must have health insurance during their stay, the statement said.
The civil aviation authority also released a list of 16 Covid-19 vaccines that are accepted for entering Thailand as of Jan 6.
They include one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine, two doses of AstraZeneca, two doses of Moderna, two doses of Pfizer or three doses of Anhui Zhifei Logcom.
Among nations that recently reimposed Covid-19 entry rules, India this month began mandatory Covid-19 tests for travellers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand.
Bangkok’s vaccination requirements were scrapped in October 2022.
The reintroduction of entry requirements aimed at stemming the spread of Covid-19 comes as China rapidly dismantles its zero-tolerance policies, reopening the country to the world and scrapping quarantine for arrivals from Jan 8.
Thailand expects 300,000 Chinese visitors in the first quarter of this year, after it reached a target of 10 million foreign arrivals last year in a better-than-expected recovery of its vital tourism sector.
The first commercial flight from China to Thailand, Xiamen Airlines flight MF833, will arrive in Bangkok from Xiamen on Monday carrying 286 passengers, government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said on Sunday.
Airlines are required to screen visitors’ eligibility to enter Thailand under the reimposed rules.
People suspected of displaying symptoms of Covid-19 will be advised to get tested on arrival.
Passengers transiting to other destinations are exempt, the statement said. BLOOMBERG, THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, REUTERS
