Travel bubble talks to pick back up once Covid-19 is under control
Once the Covid-19 outbreak is under control, Thailand will pick back up on travel bubble discussions with countries such as Vietnam, Singapore, Laos and Malaysia. Travel bubbles could start as soon as October if the daily Covid-19 count significantly decreases by the end of the month.
The country’s Covid-19 immunisation plan needs to be accelerated and the daily Covid-19 count needs to drop, Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, recently told the Bangkok Post.
“We have to speed up inoculations, particularly in Bangkok, to achieve herd immunity by the fourth quarter. The number of daily infections should be below 200 by the end of this month to restore international tourism confidence.”
Thailand has experienced a drastic spike in Covid-19 infections, with more than 50,000 confirmed infections since April 1, making up the majority of the cumulative case count since the start of the pandemic last year. Deaths related to Covid-19 increased from just under 100 at the end of March to more than 450.
Phiphat says Thailand needs the situation to be under control before resuming talks with other countries about potential travel bubbles because no country will want to make a deal while the infection rate is high.
SOURCE: VN Express
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All these future schemes depend upon Thailand getting it’s population vaccinated. However when they are all vaccinated there won’t be a need for a ‘Travel Bubble’ for vaccinated people…
Let me let you into a little secret – IT IS NEVER GOING BACK TO NORMAL
@John 2, I think you are right. If you can recall air travel before 9/11 and what happens since then, you get a feel for what a “post Covid” works will look like. Going through all the checks we do at airports is not “normal” and a similar “new normal” is what we now have following Covid. Depending on how things mutate and response to annual vaccines goes, will determine what the new normal looks like. -Stay safe everyone and remember, you have to get lucky every day not to catch the virus. The virus just needs to get lucky once to cause mayhem. Just like terrorism.
The Thais think they are still calling the shots.
Too late Thailand, the world is moving on and you are left behind.
The holiday/vacation season is starting now and tourists have other offers without the Thai bull.
@Nigel – I’ll second that. The death by China virus can not disappear. Nor can its wake of horribly costly headaches.
Things are back to normal here in TX. Half the people do not want the vaccine. Most everyone has had the virus and most people have had no symptoms. Not sure why the media pushes this as if it’s death to all because it’s not. Let it run its course, vaccinations will keep the death rate lower than it already is. It needs to run its course.
Whosoever that came up with Travel Bubble is simply putting people at high risk of infection,even after vaccination due to mingling with travellers coming from different countries that are still in a Covid-19 crisis.With new variants appearing,current vaccines available may not be effective to fight the virus.Money seems to be more important for the authorities than the safety and lives of the passengers.