covid-19 test

  • World News

    Indian tourists cancel Thailand trips after govt impose Covid test

    The Thai Hotels Association last night reported that tourists from India are cancelling trips to Thailand in their droves after their government insisted that returning travellers produce a negative Covid-19 test before reentering the country. The new mandate has come as a shock to Indian holidaymakers as the rest of the world contemplates what to do with returning Chinese tourists.…

  • Covid-19 News

    ATK solution can cause blindness, Thailand’s fact checking centre confirms

    ATK testing solution should NOT be used as eyedrops. That’s the takeaway from a warning Thai netizens are passing around, claiming that a harmful chemical compound called sodium azide found in ATK test kits could make people’s eyes go blind. The Anti-Fake News Centre of Thailand, together with the Department of Medical Science, has investigated the claim and confirmed it…

  • Thailand Travel

    Thailand to scrap pre-arrival Covid-19 tests from April

    The CCSA has announced that starting April 1, travellers arriving in Thailand from abroad won’t have to take pre-arrival Covid-19 tests (before they travel to Thailand). The scrapping of pre-arrival tests will also apply to Hat Yai airport, in addition to the current Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Krabi, Samui, Chiang Mai and U-tapao airports. A CCSA spokesman said the CCSA…

  • Thailand News

    Hoteliers asked to issue refunds to Test & Go travellers for Day 5 packages

    With the government scrapping the Day 5 requirements for Test & Go travellers, more than 2,000 hotels and their partner hospitals or test centres are being asked to refund the costs of a night stay with Covid-19 RT-PCR testing. Under the revised entry requirements, travellers can take a self-administered antigen test instead of a PCR test on the fifth day…

  • World News

    Travelling to the UK? Order a PCR test early, high demand slams provider

    Travelling back to the UK? Make sure to get your hands on a PCR test ahead of time, or at least from a reliable provider. Many customers who ordered a PCR test from a company recommended on the UK government’s official website say the deliveries, which were promised to within the next working day, were delayed. Fully vaccinated travellers entering…

  • Thailand News

    More venues in Thailand require proof of vaccination, or ATK test, at the door

    Thailand’s future looks… vaccinated. More and more venues and events are embracing the government’s “Covid Free Setting” guidelines which call for not only staff, but customers to be fully vaccinated, or test negative for the virus, to be considered a “Covid free” area. Bangkok’s Khao San Road was blocked off the other weekend with bouncers checking documents and digital vaccination…

  • Bangkok News

    Covid test required to enter CentralWorld’s Groove area in Bangkok

    Shoppers entering CentralWorld’s Groove area in Bangkok will need to take a rapid antigen test to enter the two-storey section in one of the Thailand’s largest shopping centres. Alcohol sales and consumption at the Groove zone, which has a variety of cafes, restaurants, and space to hang out, is still allowed. Customers who enter test negative in an ATK (antigen…

  • Covid-19 News

    RT-LAMP test could reduce time and cost of Covid-19 testing

    A new style of Covid-19 test has been created in Thailand by a team at Chulalongkorn University and is said to be accurate, easy, and cheap. The 3-gene RT-LAMP method test was developed by the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Science, the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Microbiology, and the Innovation Hub of Chulalongkorn University. The Covid-19 test…

  • Covid-19 News

    Unvaccinated MPs must show negative Covid-19 result before each parliament session

    Under new measures for Thai Cabinet sessions, members of parliament who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 must test negative for the coronavirus before each new meeting. The parliament president Chuan Leekpai says the new orders are to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among Cabinet members. If an MP has not been vaccinated and does not show a negative result…

  • Thailand News

    Phuket to rollout rapid Covid-19 testing campaign for visitors

    A rapid Covid-19 antigen testing campaign for visitors to Phuket is being rolled out to quickly detect cases in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. The island province is set to reopen to foreign tourists in July, that is if the virus is contained and if at least 70% of the population is vaccinated against the coronavirus.…

  • Covid-19 News

    Officials threaten to prosecute clinics, labs that violate Covid control measures

    At least 12 private Thai clinics and laboratories are being threatened with prosecution for failing to comply with Covid-19 control measures. The Department of Health Service Support says the facilities broke the law by failing to report infections and send patients to hospital. Department boss Thares Krassanairawiwong says a number of complaints have been received about the clinics and labs…

  • Covid-19 News

    At-risk Social Security members can get free Covid tests from tomorrow in Bangkok

    At-risk members of Thailand’s Social Security scheme can get free Covid-19 tests in Bangkok starting tomorrow. The Ministry of Labour will provide the tests, covering members under Sections 33, 39, and 40 of the Social Security Act. The programme will be held at the Bangkok Youth Centre (Thai-Japan) in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district. The ministry expects to test up to…

  • Covid-19 News

    All new Covid-19 infections in Chiang Mai are linked to nightlife venues

    All of the new Covid-19 infections reported by health officials in Chiang Mai yesterday are linked to local nightlife venues. Over the past few days, 47 cases linked to bars and nightclubs have been confirmed, including the 36 new cases reported yesterday by the provincial communicable disease control panel. With the rise of infections linked to entertainment venues, Chiang Mai…

  • Covid-19 News

    American has false negative Covid-19 test result in Thailand, positive result after returning to the US

    An American, who recently travelled to Phuket and Bangkok, tested positive for Covid-19 after returning to the United States. The man was tested prior to leaving Thailand and Thai health officials now say that result was a false negative. Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences reviewed the man’s Covid-19 test that was taken right before leaving Thailand and now say the…

  • Covid-19 News

    Japan asks China to stop anal Covid-19 tests after travellers report “psychological distress”

    After complaints that China’s anal swab Covid-19 test caused “psychological distress,” Japan has asked China to stop using the new, much more invasive method of testing on Japanese citizens entering the country. For the anal test, reportedly done on some travellers entering China from overseas, a 3 to 5 centimetre long cotton swab is inserted into the anus and gently…

  • Covid-19 News

    China starts using anal swab tests to detect Covid-19 infections

    A Covid-19 nasal swab test isn’t pleasant. Many will say the long stick inserted deep inside the nasal cavity feels like it’s hitting their brain. A method arguably much more discomforting is now being used in some cities in China… an anal swab test. And, they say, it’s more effective at detecting a coronavirus infection. After a Covid-19 infection was…

  • Visa Information

    UPDATE: Confusion over Covid-19 tests for visa extensions

    UPDATE: Khaosod English removed a story on Covid-19 tests for those seeking visa extensions and replaced it with the article “Immigration backtracks on plan to require Covid-19 test for visa extensions.” They say the previous report sparked uproar among expats and immigration police spokesperson has since apologised for the misunderstanding. Original article… Confusion reigns today over whether Covid-19 tests will…

  • Transport News

    US and UK require pre-departure Covid-19 test for all international arrivals

    Heading back to the United States or United Kingdom? You’ll need to get a Covid-19 test first. Both countries are now requiring passengers arriving to the US or UK get tested for Covid-19 no more than 72 hours before the flight departs. Passengers will also need to show proof of a negative result before bordering. The new travel regulations go…

  • Covid-19 News

    17 people in close contact with Hungarian foreign minister test negative for Covid-19

    Health officials suspect the Hungarian diplomat who tested positive for Covid-19 became infected with the virus when he picked up the Hungarian foreign minister from the airport and had lunch with him. 17 other people who came in close contact with the foreign minister during his 2-day trip to Bangkok have all tested negative. Foreign minister Peter Szijjarto made a…

  • Covid-19 News

    Chiang Mai health officials: 39 contacts of local Covid-19 case test negative

    Health officials investigating an apparent local Covid-19 transmission say so far there are no infections linked to the recent case. The 37 year old Indian man, who resides in Koh Phi Phi, tested positive on November 4 in Krabi after travelling Phuket, Chiang Mai and Sukothai. The man then tested negative on November 6. Health officials suspect the positive result…