Return restrictions.
Thailand reinstated a mandatory quarantine on Tuesday for all travelers facing the risk of the spread of the Omicron variant, the government said, putting the brakes on its reopening to tourism, a vital sector for the kingdom.
Travelers will now have to spend 10 days in a quarantine hotel or take advantage of the “sandbox” model in Phuket (south), which allows free movement on the island for 7 days before being able to travel to the rest of the country. .
These changes, implemented until January 4 at first, will not affect the 200,000 travelers who have already submitted their requests to enter the country for the coming weeks, said Tanakorn Wangboonkongchana, spokesperson for the country. government.
"This group can enter Thailand as planned, but there will be strengthened measures, including a second PCR test," he told reporters on Tuesday, and added that the government would cover the cost of this additional test.
Thailand suffers from Covid-19
After 18 months of closure, Bangkok reopened its borders in early November to vaccinated tourists from more than 60 countries on presentation of a simple negative PCR test.
The Southeast Asian country, which is emerging from a strong wave due to the Delta variant, has so far recorded 64 cases of the Omicron variant in its territory, including one transmitted locally.
Thailand had its worst economic performance since 1997 due to the pandemic last year and needs to revive its tourism sector, which accounts for around 20% of its wealth.
In 2019, the country welcomed nearly 40 million international tourists.
