Thailand fans all over the world had to wait a long time for this moment: From November, people from some “safe” countries will be able to travel back to the country of longing – provided they are fully vaccinated. Germany is also on the list.
Bangkok – A happy day for all long-distance travelers: Germans can travel quarantine-free to Thailand again from November 1st, provided they are fully vaccinated against the corona virus.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced in a televised address that a total of at least ten countries with low corona incidence were on the list, including the USA, Singapore and China. Vacationers only need to do one PCR test before they leave and another when they arrive in Thailand, Prayut said. After that, they could travel freely to all parts of the country.
More countries are to be added from December 1st. Then the serving of alcohol in restaurants, which has been banned for months due to a severe corona wave, will probably be allowed again.
Vaccinated travelers from all other countries have to be quarantined for another seven days – or they take part in model projects in certain regions, such as on the islands of Phuket and Ko Samui. As part of the programs, in which some strict rules have to be followed, quarantine-free holidays for travelers with double vaccinations from numerous countries have been possible again since July.
Thailand has long been hoping for a restart of the extremely important tourism sector. The industry has been almost completely devastated for a year and a half. Many people have no income since then.
“It was also one of the most painful experiences of my life for me to make decisions that had to reconcile saving lives with saving livelihoods,” emphasized Prayut. “It is time we prepared to face the coronavirus and live with it as we would with other endemic infections and diseases.” to give many Thais back their livelihood.
According to the Bank of Thailand, 40 million foreign tourists came in 2019 to visit dream beaches, temples, national parks and the vibrant capital Bangkok. The tourism industry accounted for eleven percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), and more than seven of the 70 million Thais worked in the industry.
Thailand closed its borders at the end of March 2020. For many months, however, it was considered a model state in the fight against the pandemic – until the numbers suddenly rose massively this April due to the contagious Delta variant. In August, the authorities reported more than 20,000 new cases a day.
In many parts of the country there have since been strict measures, including night exit restrictions. The number of infections is slowly falling: On Tuesday, the authorities reported around 9,400 new infections and 84 deaths in connection with Covid-19. As of November, many rules could therefore be dropped. dpa
