Last month, Thailand finally announced that it would end the COVID-19 epidemic and decided to end the COVID-19 epidemic on October 1 and downgrade COVID-19 to a local infectious disease. At the same time, the visa on arrival will be extended from 15 days to 30 days from October 1, 2022. Moreover, if you enter Thailand at present, there can be said that there are no restrictions. The previous COVID-19 vaccination certificate, nucleic acid negative test certificate, isolation and buying COVID-19 insurance are not needed. Thailand wants to truly open its doors so that foreign tourists can freely enter and exit Thailand, stimulate tourism consumption, and drive economic growth. So why is Thailand in a hurry to end the epidemic this year? Let’s first review the main policies that Thailand has successively issued this year.
1, enter the country without quarantine from February 1, and start the Test & Go plan
Thailand will implement the entry plan without quarantine from February 1, 2022, and will leave immediately. Before entering the country, you need to prepare materials such as COVID-19 vaccination certificate, negative nucleic acid test certificate, medical insurance of more than US$50,000, prepaid certificate for accommodation in quarantine hotels, etc. You also need to apply for a Thai pass before entering the country. You can only travel freely after the quarantine is over in Thailand.
2, ending Test & Go entry policy from May 1
From May 1, Thailand officially opened its national gates and canceled the Test & Go plan. There is no need to undergo RT-PCR nucleic acid testing, only ATK testing is required to enter the country. Entering Thailand is mainly determined by whether to receive the new crown vaccine . People who have been vaccinated only need to check whether they have completed the registration of the Thai pass and can leave the airport without undergoing any virus tests. People who have not been vaccinated need to present a negative nucleic acid test certificate, and if not, they need to be quarantined in the hotel for 5 days. The original insurance minimum limit was also reduced from $20,000 to $10,000.
3, no quarantine entry from June 1
As of June 1, tourists entering Thailand will be exempted from quarantine. Thai tourists do not need to register for a Thai pass. Foreign tourists need to register for a Thai pass and purchase medical insurance of no less than US$10,000. International tourists who have been fully vaccinated only need to provide a passport and vaccination certificate. Tourists who are not fully vaccinated or have not been vaccinated must provide an additional 72-hour RT-PCR negative certificate or professional ATK test certificate to enter the country without isolation.
4, canceling the Thai pass on July 1
From July 1, Thailand announced the cancellation of the Thai pass entry system and adjusting specific prevention and control measures, officially entering the post-epidemic era. Foreign tourists entering Thailand no longer need to apply for a Thai pass and an insurance requirement of US$10,000 insured. In addition to necessary passports and visas, foreign tourists can enter Thailand without isolation only by relying on a complete vaccination certificate for the new crown vaccine or a negative nucleic acid certificate 72 hours before the trip (paper or electronic version). Temperature measurement facilities will also be evacuated at all airports and land borders, and only random inspection posts will be set up to conduct random inspections of incoming passengers’ entry documents. Passengers who have not been vaccinated/not fully vaccinated need to undergo a professional ATK test at the entry point if they are unable to show proof of negative nucleic acid test. In particular, the mask restrictions have been cancelled, and people are no longer forced to wear masks in outdoor public places.
5, announced the end of the epidemic on October 1
In August, Thailand announced that it would dissolve the epidemic control center on October 1, close the Bangkok vaccination center, and lift the emergency decree on October 1. After October 1, the Infectious Diseases Act of 2015 will become a governing law for the response to the epidemic, and will no longer be the Public Administration Emergency Act in Emergency Situations implemented since February 24, 2020. At the same time, Thailand will also downgrade the COVID-19 epidemic to a "surveillance disease" on October 1, which shows that Thailand will officially announce the end of the COVID-19 epidemic on October 1.
It can be seen from these policies that Thailand's idea of ending the new crown epidemic is a long-term preparation process and a decision based on Thailand's national conditions. So why is Thailand in a hurry to end the new crown this year? I think the main reason is economic problems.The emergence of the new crown epidemic has once paralyzed society, with factories shutting down, shopping malls shutting down, hotels shutting down, and the economy is in a recession, and many people have no source of economic resources and support. The Thai government must also make corresponding changes in this situation. Since it cannot eliminate the new crown, it can only be replaced with another way to solve it. If it cannot be defeated, it will be joined.
In Thailand, the new crown is gradually treated as a routine disease, making people accustomed to the existence of the new crown, and slowly introducing appropriate policies to guide the social operation under the new crown, so that all walks of life can recover under the control of the government. At the same time, as a major tourism country, Thailand has also brought economic income from tourism. Thailand has chosen to adapt to the trend of global opening up, cancel the corresponding entry and exit policies, gradually open up its doors, attract tourists from all over the world, bring tourists to the tourism industry, and gradually recover the tourism industry. Although the number of incoming tourists is still far from reaching the number before the COVID-19 pandemic, it can allow Thailand to take a breath from its current predicament.
Since Thailand officially opened its doors on May 1, the number of incoming people per month has been increasing, and the economic income of the tourism industry has also gradually increased. Thailand's tourism industry is currently recovering, but it is still a long way from the target of 10 million tourists set by the Thai government. At present, Thailand's tourism industry urgently needs a large number of tourists to drive economic growth. At present, the inflation of in Thailand is still a problem. At the same time, due to the global energy shortage and epidemic, the prices of raw materials have risen, and Thailand's prices are also rising. In order to drive economic growth and stimulate the economy, Thailand can only choose to end the new crown as soon as possible and restore life to normal levels before the epidemic.
