Thailand Opens to All Visitors, Recommends Health Insurance

[reader]

The Bangkok Post is reporting separately that ALL visitors must show proof of at lest two covid vaccinations.

From Thailand News Agency

BANGKOK, Jan 5 (TNA) – Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand was well prepared to welcome visitors from around the world including those who would start to arrive from China next week while relevant officials would be monitoring the COVID-19 situation.

After chairing a meeting on measures to welcome visitors, Mr Anutin said that existing disease control measures in the country were effective enough and would be applied to all visitors regardless of the countries from which they would arrive.

“In case that some countries require their arrivals to pass RT-PCR tests for COVID-19 before trips, such travelers will be required to have health insurance. This will benefit them if they are infected and must stay in Thailand until their recovery. Therefore, tourists should have their health insurance before visiting Thailand,” the health minister said.

He also planned to set up an operation center to monitor the COVID-19 situation and respond to emergency situations. The center will gather officials from three ministries and relevant organizations.

Mr Anutin said that measures could be revised to suit changing situations. (TNA)

 

[PeterRS]

A joke! Another Thai joke from one of the principal jokers! My sister-in-law has just been diagnosed with cancer. I was to be staying with her and my brother in a few weeks' time. But her treatment means she has to keep clear of other possible infections for a minimum of 12 weeks. Even if I take daily covid tests, I can not guarantee that if I stayed with them I would be virus free.

But for me that is a relatively minor inconvenience. For a great many Thais, it could mean infection and then more time away from work in a hospital. The measures being taken by India, the USA, Canada, the EU and others is sensible prevention. Anutin is in some dreamworld if he believes that planeloads of Chinese will have health insurance. Even if they do, how overwhelmed will Thai hospitals become if flights arrive - as they have in Europe in the last few days - with bewteen 25% and 50% of passengers infected with covid?

Madness!

 

[gayinpattaya]

Great news! Another step towards normality. 3 years on and people are still scared of a little sniffle. Glad to see Thailand moving on. No pointless face rags, no nose sticks and no mRNA death injections. Yippee. 

[PeterRS]

The growing number of Chinese public figures whose deaths are being made public is prompting people to question the official Covid death toll.

The death of Chu Lanlan, a 40-year-old opera singer, last month came as a shock to many, given how young she was.

Her family said they were saddened by her "abrupt departure", but did not give details of the cause of her death. 

China scrapped its strict zero-Covid policy in December and has seen a rapid surge of infections and deaths.

There are reports of hospitals and crematoria becoming overwhelmed . . .

According to a tally by Chinese media, 16 scientists from the country's top science and engineering academies died between 21 and 26 December.

None of these deaths were linked to Covid in their obituaries, but that hasn't prevented speculation online.

"Did he also die of 'bad flu'?" one of the top-rated comments under news of Mr Ni's death said.

"Even if you trawl through the whole internet you can't find any reference to his cause of death," said another internet user.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64173824

[reader]

From Forbes

Nearly 28% of the 524 passenger arrivals from mainland China at Taiwan’s top international airport on Sunday tested positive for Covid, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center, or CECC.

Taiwan starting on Jan. 1 is requiring travelers from the mainland to take a saliva-based test when arriving, the Central News Agency reported.

 

[PeterRS]

4 hours ago, reader said:

Nearly 28% of the 524 passenger arrivals from mainland China at Taiwan’s top international airport on Sunday tested positive for Covid, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center, or CECC

And how many had health insurance, I wonder? Probably a stupid question. Then one wonders how many of those testing positive end up in a hospital, thereby reducing hospital beds and facilities for Taiwanese and for other proerly vaccinated tourists who fall ill for other reasons. 

[vinapu]

10 hours ago, gayinpattaya said:

Great news! Another step towards normality. 3 years on and people are still scared of a little sniffle. Glad to see Thailand moving on. No pointless face rags, no nose sticks and no mRNA death injections. Yippee. 

It seems that you can't shake that long covid from your system.

Surprisingly perhaps  I'm tilting toward your point of view even if I strongly disagree with your assessmnet of covid itself  , masks and tests. After 3 years of pandemic  and with vaccines available it's time to return to normalcy and start treating people as adults making their own choices and smart enough to take necessary precautions as they see fit. The same with governments, some see unnecessary to take precautions against  expected wave of Chinese  arrivals and that's fine, others like Thai or Cambodian opt for letting it go and that's fine as well.

We got scared long enough , now time for the world to start being brave ( but also insured )again. We won't have herd immunity by isolating everybody from everybody

[PeterRS]

5 hours ago, vinapu said:

After 3 years of pandemic  and with vaccines available it's time to return to normalcy and start treating people as adults making their own choices and smart enough to take necessary precautions as they see fit. The same with governments, some see unnecessary to take precautions against  expected wave of Chinese  arrivals and that's fine, others like Thai or Cambodian opt for letting it go and that's fine as well.

I wonder why you think this is fine? Two years ago, the world was in virtual panic as millions were dying of covid and many forms of measures against the virus were adopted in most of the world. This included lockdowns and the inability of most of us to travel. We were all afraid of getting the virus.

Thanks to China's stupidity, first in trying to control the spread of the virus through extensive lockdowns rather than vaccinations and now in opening the stable door long after the horses have bolted, covid infections are not merely rife, they are spreading with great rapidity around China with the likelihood - according to many in the medical profession - of a million deaths in the relatively near future. The country's health system is overrun and unable to cope. We know that more than half the Chinese passengers on a flight to Italy tested positive. We know that 28% of Chinese passengers on a flight to Taipei tested positive. If these represent even a fraction of those about to flood the world, how are the world's health services going to cope?

Yet you seem happy to accept the possibility of many thousands (tens of thousands?) of Chinese ariving in Thailand bringing covid with them. Yes, Thailand is much better prepared and many Thais are fully vaccinated. But vaccination does not mean you can not be reinfected. Three members of my own family and two friends in Taipei became reinfected even after three vaccinations. I am not prepared to treat anyone from China as an adult making his/her own choice - yet! I am not prepared to let the Chinese government use its economic leverage to pressure worldwide governments  to accept its own citizens when it has done precious little to protect those citizens over the last 3 years. Thailand should do as other countries are doing - ban travellers from China until that country has covid under control.

[vinapu]

16 hours ago, PeterRS said:

I wonder why you think this is fine? Two years ago, the world was in virtual panic... 

I liked your post above because elegancy of argumentation  but stick to my opinion  as I think we have enough of trading virtual  or real panic for freedoms of movement, giving governments , specially autocratic , excuse to tighten their grips under pretense of taking care of public health. No better example than one  you cited above - China. 

Roughly 10 months ago Eastern European  countries like Poland , Romania , Hungary with population only partially vaccinated thanks to flat-earthers there were flooded with war refugees from Ukraine, even more poorly vaccinated and somehow , even if nobody cared about masks , even less tests in such circumstances  expected disastrous surge did not materialize.

And no, I don't believe earth is flat or Elvis is still alive in St Olaf , Minnesota, I'm 4 times vaccinated, tested at least dozen times and regretfully I personally knew 7 people who succumbed to disease, including one under 30.

 

[PeterRS]

7 hours ago, vinapu said:

Roughly 10 months ago Eastern European  countries like Poland , Romania , Hungary with population only partially vaccinated thanks to flat-earthers there were flooded with war refugees from Ukraine, even more poorly vaccinated and somehow , even if nobody cared about masks , even less tests in such circumstances  expected disastrous surge did not materialize.

And no, I don't believe earth is flat or Elvis is still alive in St Olaf , Minnesota, I'm 4 times vaccinated, tested at least dozen times and regretfully I personally knew 7 people who succumbed to disease, including one under 30.

I don't doubt your reasoning re Eastern European countries. But if I recall correctly, we KNEW and the WHO KNEW what was happening in those countries. Do you know what is actually happening in China re covid? Not even the WHO knows! All we hear from a large variety of sources is that covid is now rampant in that country and about to get a great deal worse. Hospitals are already overrun. The Chinese authorities reported 5 deaths on January 5 and 3 on January 6. No one in China believes these firgres. CNN had an interview with one Chinese national who had four deaths in his family in recent days. He believes the official firgures are nonsense.

Well over 200 million Chinese are about to roam freely around the country returning to their ancestral home towns and villages in the countryside - where a huge number have not been vaccinated - to celebrate Chinese New Year for several days around January 22 for the first time since 2019. As already mentioned, at least 1 million deaths are expected and a vast number of new infections.

Because of the lockdown policy over the last 3 years, there is no herd immunity in China. Who knows how many will become infected by the end of this month? And who knows how many will get round the regulations and be desperate to get out of the country in the hope of avoiding infection? We know that money talks in China. No doubt it will help getting some on aircraft flying out of China.

Like you I know several who died of covid including one a close friend. I don't want to see any more. Do you know anyone with long covid? That is a hideous long term health problem. I am all for freedoms - but as I have written several times before, freedom rightly demands responsibility. In terms of covid that means those who might be infected with the disease have a responsibilty to do all possible to avoid infecting others. At the same time governments have a duty to protect those who might become infected with it. In medical terms, I firmly believe caution is the best policy. Anutin is a total self-serving idiot whose sole aim is to become Prime Minister for believing that he knows how better to handle the massive China outbreak compared to the health authorities in a large and increasing number of other major countries.

[vinapu]

6 hours ago, PeterRS said:

 The Chinese authorities reported 5 deaths on January 5 and 3 on January 6

.....

At the same time governments have a duty to protect those who might become infected with it.

those figures are correct , they just forgot to add "per minute"

.......

unfortunately some of them approached that duty with excessive zeal and China is the best example which lead them  to battle covid at time when rest of the world largely forgot about it already

[reader]

From Thai PIS World

Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob and Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn will be at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Monday to welcome the first group of Chinese tourists to visit Thailand post COVID pandemic.

The visitors will fly into Bangkok in a 289-seat Boeing-789, on a direct flight from Xiamen operated by XiamenAir. The plane is scheduled to touch down at 12.50pm.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand says that, during the first three months of this year, about 338 flights from China will fly into Suvarnabhumi airport, including 98 in January, 144 in February and 96 in March.

At Phuket International Airport, there will be one flight from China each day between February 15^th and 17^th, then the flights will be increased to four a day from February 18^th to March 25^th.

At Chiang Mai International Airport, the first direct flight from China will land on March 15^th. There will be about 200 flights during the three-month period, with 42 flights in January, 84 in February and 74 in March.

About five million Chinese tourists are expected to visit Thailand this year after their government decided to ease travel restrictions, effective from Sunday, January 8^th.

[PeterRS]

2 hours ago, reader said:

Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob and Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn will be at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Monday to welcome the first group of Chinese tourists to visit Thailand post COVID pandemic.

I'll bet they'll be wearing masks and using hand sanitiser. i think I should have a little bet on how many of these tourists are found to have covid on arrival!

[PeterRS]

16 hours ago, vinapu said:

unfortunately some of them approached that duty with excessive zeal and China is the best example which lead them  to battle covid at time when rest of the world largely forgot about it already

I don't think that is quite accurate. China has been battling covid ever since it first appeared in Wuhan more than 3 years ago. Led by Xi Jinping's mad policy it assumed it could triumph over an invisible virus. Three years of massive city lockdowns and huge disruption to its once thriving economy. Now instead of being sensible about it, it has just unlocked the stable door and thrown away the key. No doubt this has something to do with Chinese New Year in a couple of weeks and the massive unrest that he would have faced had he forced the population to abandon the lunar New Year family gatherings for yet another year. For China this is not a new battle. It is the continuation of a huge failure which threatens to lead to an even bigger failure, one that will see covid spread massively within China. Some of those infected are now spreading to other parts of the world and/or putting the world's healthcare facilities at considerable risk. Classic buck passing.

The allied issue arising from this is: can Xi hang on to power? The lockdown policy was his. The deaths that are now following are on him. The leadership in Beijing is not a unified body. It is rife with factions as we recently saw at the National People's Congress a couple of months ago. Will he be dethroned? We shall see.

[reader]

From Thai PBS World

Free COVID-19 vaccinations stepped up ahead of increased foreign arrivals

Due to an anticipated increase in foreign arrivals, Chinese tourists in particular, everyone, especially the those over 60, people with chronic diseases, pregnant women, those who weigh over 90kg, small children and those who have not been vaccinated, have been urged to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or to get booster shots.

COVID-19 infections are on the rise in several provinces. In the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, for instance, over 600 cases were reported last week alone, with 14 fatalities, most of whom were unvaccinated.

The vaccination services are free of charge for Thais and foreigners at state hospitals or health centres nationwide.

In Bangkok, people who want to get vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine can just walk in to the Institute of Dermatology, near the Victory Monument, or make advance bookings. The institute will provide a free vaccination service from 9am until 3pm on January 12th, 13th and 16th to 20th.

Those who received their last vaccine dose over four months ago are advised to get another booster shot.

========

Barry Kenyon writes in today's Pattaya Mail that "All air passengers of any nationality, aged 18 and over, will need documentary proof of at least two anti-covid vaccine shots. The same paperwork could be required too by Thai immigration on landing, although this latter step may be on an occasional or random basis as the main thrust is on the shoulders of the air carriers. Unvaccinated or undocumented travellers will likely be refused boarding as will those who appear sick.

"Most air arrivals will not be required to show tourist or anti-covid health insurance under the CAAT ruling. However, those arriving in Thailand with onward tickets to destinations which require RT-PCR clinical testing as part of that country’s immigration requirements will need Thai insurance. For example, both India and China both require all entrants, including their own nationals, to have RT-PCR health tests within 48 hours of their flights from Thailand. Thus Thai health insurance is needed for such travellers in case they fail their pre-flight covid examination here.

"No guidance is given in the CAAT circular about the details of such insurance. It will presumably need to specify potential hospitalization in case of proving covid-positive whilst in Thailand. As with the vaccination record check, the main responsibility will be with the airlines to check carefully the onward travel plans of their customers, or risk heavy fines if they are less than diligent. The extra costs of insurance could deter some Chinese tourists from visiting Thailand as the financial blow has already caused some Indians to cancel Thai holidays. It is also unclear whether Thai hospitals and clinics have the staff or resources suddenly to guarantee thousands of RT-PCR within 48 hours of intended departure at a low cost, a potentially mammoth task."

[PeterRS]

On 1/5/2023 at 6:02 PM, reader said:

From Thailand News Agency

Mr Anutin said that measures could be revised to suit changing situations. (TNA)

I'll make another bet. Anutin's measures will be revised sooner rather than later!

[TMax]

56 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

I'll make another bet. Anutin's measures will be revised sooner rather than later!

Well that's a no bet and a no brainer, they change their rules as often as they change their underwear. 

[bkkmfj2648]

4 hours ago, TMax said:

Well that's a no bet and a no brainer, they change their rules as often as they change their underwear. 

I am happy to hear/learn that they change their underwear often  :>))

[TMax]

I knew it wouldn't last long before he changed his undies again😂

From the Bangkok Post

Govt U-turns on Covid vaccination rule for visitors

The government on Monday rescinded a policy announced at the weekend requiring visitors to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said, citing sufficient immunisation levels.

He changed his undies again

[reader]

Latest travel restrictions “need immediate amendment”

From Pattaya Mail

By Barry Kenyon

Effective early today Monday January 9 Thai time, airlines round the world are instructed to ensure that their passengers to Thailand have documentation to prove at least two anti-covid jabs, no matter how old. The exceptions are children under 18, pregnant mothers, Thai nationals and foreigners holding Department of Employment work or labor permits. Unvaccinated passengers must show a doctor’s letter why they are jabless, presumably for reasons of pre-existing health conditions. However, some unconfirmed reports say unvaccinated tourists are being allowed to board by some airlines with the proviso they will be delayed for testing by Thai health authorities on landing.

The latest regulations do not, immediately, include land border crossings. Consequently, the hi-speed rail route from the Chinese border to Vientiane, capital of Laos, is booked solid because of its proximity to the major crossing point at Nong Khai via the Friendship Bridge. Other reports indicate that passengers from Europe are trying to exchange their air tickets to Bangkok for Cambodia’s Phnom Penh or Siem Reap airport. From Cambodia, entry by land to Thailand is fairly straightforward via several immigration check points.

nbound air passengers to Thailand do not require any travel insurance, or hospital cover for covid, unless their next air destination after Thailand is a country which insists on covid checks on entry. Examples include China and India which both require RT-PCR tests before boarding flights there. The required Thai insurance is a minimum of US$10,000 and must cover potential hospitalization whilst in Thailand. Whether the Thai health system can provide enough RT-PCR tests, within 48 hours of the flight to China for example leaving, is unclear. Pattaya hospitals told Pattaya Mail they don’t have the stocks. Unconfirmed reports say self-administered antigen tests may replace hospital-stamped certificates to cope with that issue.

The international press and social media are dismayed by the sudden imposition of new health requirements just as Thailand recovers from the covid-induced tourist starvation. They argue that the measures are a botched attempt to deal with high covid infection rates in China without seeming to single out China for special treatment. The Thai tourism minister and the Tourism Authority of Thailand are both pressurizing the Cabinet to reverse the restrictions on the grounds of “non-feasibility”.

In Thai fashion, any changes will be announced without prior warning. In the meantime, passengers with questions should consult their airline as the main thrust of checking has been thrown on check-in staff. Further checks at Thai immigration on landing are unlikely except on a random basis in order to avoid more chaos. Unless you are coughing or sweating of course.

[gayinpattaya]

This is from TAT
https://www.tatnews.org/2023/01/thailand-maintains-fully-reopen-entry-rules/

 

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, H.E. Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, said “International travellers arriving in Thailand are not required to show proof of vaccination.”

In addition, foreign tourists  are not required to show ATK or RT-PCR test results.

This information was last updated 4 hours ago. 

 

[reader]

TIT.

[bkkmfj2648]

To lighten things up a bit regarding Covid - Jimmy Fallon from the Tonight Show in the USA doing a B-52 rendition of Covid variant xbb.1.5

 

[reader]

It's become a fiasco to discern the actual travel requirements for entering Thailand because individual government agencies are issuing their own interpretation. The Health Ministry had declared one set of requirement only to revisit it the same day with a different version. The latest--and hopefully the accurate version--has been sent our by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) in the form of a "NOTAM" (Notice to Airmen), an internationally recognized notice containing information essential to personnel concerned with flight operations but not known far enough in advance to be publicized by other mean.

From The Nation

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) on Tuesday issued a new Notice to Airmen (Notam) that cancels mandatory Covid-19 vaccination.

The previous Notam, issued on Saturday, required airlines to check passengers for proof of at least two vaccine jabs and minimum health coverage of US$10,000 before boarding. Issued just two days before China removed restrictions on international travel, the “two-jab plus insurance” rule sparked a backlash from Thai tourism operators who complained it had forced many travellers to cancel flights and bookings.

The new Notam issued on Tuesday includes the following updates:

1. Vaccination is no longer required.

2. Passengers from countries that require an RT-PCR test on return are advised to have health insurance covering at least US$10,000 of Covid-19 treatment during their stay in Thailand, plus seven days.

2.1 Flight crew, students, and others on special business can use a letter from their host or other forms of insurance to cover the requirement.

2.2 Absence of health insurance is not a reason to deny boarding.

2.3 Passengers from countries that require an RT-PCR test will be checked randomly for proof of insurance. Those who cannot show proof will have to purchase health insurance before being processed by Thai immigration.

3. Thai passport holders and transit/transfer passengers are exempted from the health insurance check.

4. Airlines must comply with all regulations and guidance including asking passengers to wear masks at all times, except during meals or emergencies.

5. Passengers showing symptoms of Covid-19 during travel will be advised to test on arrival.

Travellers from China will need health insurance as their home country requires an RT-PCR test on re-entry.

The new Notam is effective until January 31.

 

[vinapu]

and we thought all those covid regulations and restriction were slowly forgotten.

but I'd say just pack and go. On longer flights chances are by time we land at destination it will be new set of rules anyways, and even that will be modified by time we get to Sala Daeng