Thailand lifts curbs for vaccinated visitors from 10 countris Nov 1

Thailand will end mandatory quarantine for fully-vaccinated tourists travelling by air from countries deemed 'low risk' from November 1.  In a televised address on Monday, prime minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha said the coronavirus quarantine requirement will end for at least 10 countries including the United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, China and the United States. "When they arrive, they should present a (negative) Covid test... and test once again upon arrival," AFP further quoted the prime minister as saying.After getting a negative test, "they can travel freely like Thais," he said.

Currently, vaccinated tourists need to undergo at least seven days of quarantine in a hotel after their arrival in Thailand. The country also has a so-called "sandbox" scheme which allows vaccinated tourists to move freely around Phuket for a fortnight and afterwards travel to the mainland without quarantine. There is a curfew in place in Bangkok and other areas from 10pm. to 4am. to check a third wave of the coronavirus that began in April this year.

Around 40 million tourists visited Thailand every year before the pandemic, with tourism making up almost 20 percent of its national income. However, Covid-related restrictions left the economy battered. Today's announcement comes as a relief for people in the tourism sector who have suffered losses in their businesses during the ongoing pandemic.Last year, Thailand suffered losses of about $50 billion in tourism revenue as foreign arrivals plunged 83 percent to 6.7 million, from a record 39.9 million two years ago.