Thailand Ministry of Health reports 9,721 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 77 deaths since yesterday. The ministry also announced an additional 20,145 patients recovered from the COVID-19 virus.
Following the loosening of Covid-19 limitations, Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority expects 83,500 flights per month at all airports by the end of the year, up from 44,500 now, according to deputy government spokesman Traisuree Taisaranakul.
Both international and domestic flights are projected to see significant increases, she added.
On Sunday, the Test & Go admission criteria were removed in an effort to attract more international tourists and help the kingdom compete with regional tourism-dependent rivals such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and Singapore.
Tourism operators and vacationers have expressed dissatisfaction with the requirement to register for the Thailand Pass before entering the country, and have urged the government to do away with it as well.
According to the Transport Ministry, over 17,000 passengers arrived on 96 international flights at Suvarnabhumi Airport on the first day after Test & Go’s departure, with another 4,000 arriving on 27 landings at Phuket Airport.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was pleased with the swift screening and document-checking process at international airports on Sunday, according to Ms. Traisuree, and praised all officials for a smooth changeover.
As of Sunday, 129,068 patients had received Covid-19 therapy, with 34,168 of them in hospitals. According to the Department of Disease Control’s daily update, the rest were in hospital facilities/field hospitals (15,870) or in-home/community isolation.
There were 1,751 extremely ill patients with lung inflammation at the hospital, with 824 on ventilators.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) stated on Monday afternoon that Bangkok had the most dangerously ill patients, with 149, followed by 89 in Nakhon Ratchasima, 68 in Kanchanaburi, 67 in Khon Kaen, and 61 in Ubon Ratchathani.