BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand will reduce its mandatory quarantine from next month to 14 days for foreigners arriving in the country who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, the Health Minister said on Monday.
Vaccines must be administered within three months of the travel period and visitors are still expected to show negative results from the COVID-19 test within three days of their departure, Anutin Charnvirankul told a news conference.
Those that have not yet been inoculated, but with coronavirus-free certificates, will be quarantined for 10 days, he said.
“Foreigners who travel to Thailand with vaccination certificates according to the requirements of each brand, will need to be quarantined for only seven days,” said Anutin, referring to the doses needed to be effective.
Thailand’s flight limits, strict entry requirements and mandatory quarantine for all arrivals were central to its success in limiting the spread of the virus to just over 26,000 cases and 85 deaths.
These restrictions decimated its vital tourism sector, however, causing widespread job losses and company closings and contributing to the country’s deepest economic traction in more than two decades.
The country received about 40 million visitors in 2019.
The new measures do not apply to those traveling from Africa, who would still be quarantined for two weeks due to concerns about other variants of the virus.
Thai citizens vaccinated without a certificate showing that they are free from the coronavirus need to spend a week in quarantine after two negative tests in the country.
After October, if Thailand inoculates 70% of medical personnel and risk groups, there may be more easing of restrictions, Anutin said, adding that the quarantine could be lifted completely.
Thailand has so far vaccinated 27,497 people, mostly medical professionals, using the Sinovac Biotech vaccine. She ordered 61 million doses in total of the AstraZeneca vaccine with mass vaccinations scheduled to start in June
Anutin said the country may need to order an additional 10 to 20 million doses, which it could buy from other producers.
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Martin Petty)