Thailand Ministry of Health reports 9,331 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 84 deaths since yesterday. The ministry also announced an additional 22,022 patients recovered from the COVID-19 virus.
Despite the downward trend in both categories, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government would not rush to declare the coronavirus an endemic disease until the number of new cases falls below 10,000 and the death rate falls below 0.1 percent of patients treated in hospitals, according to government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana.
By July 1, the government aims to declare Covid-19 endemic.
Tourists have reacted positively to the government’s decision to repeal the Test & Go program, which took effect on Sunday.
Justin Chines, a 28-year-old American tourist, said he had previously visited Thailand in January and thought that his travel this time was easier because he needed to submit less documentation. He completed the Thailand Pass process in a matter of days, as opposed to three weeks the last time he came.
“I would say that it is very easy this time. I don’t need to show my RT-PCR result and apply for a hotel quarantine. It is very convenient. But I think it would be great if there was no longer a requirement for health insurance as it has put up the cost of travel,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chayatham Phromsorn, the Transport Ministry’s permanent secretary, examined the airport’s readiness on Sunday.
With the country reopened, he said foreign airports were ready to welcome more travelers.
He predicts that by 2024, the number of visitors will have increased to almost 100,000 people per day at Suvarnabhumi airport or 36.5 million passengers per year.
“All state agencies are now working together to smooth arrivals and departures and eliminate queues at Thailand Pass and immigration checkpoints,” he said.