Thailand COVID March 12
Thailand Ministry of Health reports 24,592 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 68 deaths since yesterday. The ministry also announced an additional 21,371 recovered patients.
The government plans to declare COVID-19 an endemic by July of this year. In line with their plans, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is planning to relax travel measures.
TAT Measures
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said that the tourism revenue goals this year might be lowered. This is due to the surging oil prices stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Part of the planned relaxation is the removal of Thailand pass by July. This would also mean other relaxations will be implemented. This would mark a milestone for the ailing industry. Over the next four months, the agency will be working on the new protocols.
One of the requirements that will remain essential is an RT-PCR test due to the overwhelming number of cases in the country. He also added that Thailand should learn from other countries that have fully re-opened to remain competitive. International travel remains dull as the world is being ravaged by the pandemic and is battling rising oil prices.
TAT is expected to present the proposal to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on March 18.
For Europe, July is the summer season, many of them will prefer intra-regional travel. Thailand expects tourists from neighboring countries.
Land Borders and Travel
India remains a key source of travel for the country due to the travel bubble agreed between the nations. Southeast Asian countries are also planning to relax travel measures. Vietnam is expected to open on March 15. By April 1, Malaysia will reopen its land border with Thailand.
At the moment, the agency’s primary concern is the Russian-Ukraine conflict. This has directly impacted airline costs due to the rising oil prices. TAT will be observing developments till the end of the month before they provide any forecast.