covid-19
- Tourism News
Government says Thailand Pass not being cancelled, being “streamlined”
The Thai government says the Thailand Pass is not being cancelled (at least, not for now) but the process will be streamlined to make it faster and more convenient. According to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Sumanee Wacharasint from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the cancellation of Test & Go from May 1 means there will no longer…
- Thailand News
31 land border checkpoints in 17 provinces to reopen on May 1
Land border checkpoints in 17 border provinces will reopen on May 1, according to the Department of Disease Control. Vaccinated Thai citizens and travellers from neighbouring countries can enter Thailand via the checkpoints. Foreigners will still need to register for Thailand Pass prior to entering via land border. Today, Assistant Spokesperson of the Covid-19 Situation Administration Centre Sumanee Watcharasin revealed…
- Phuket News
Officials inspect Phuket airport ahead of entry restriction ease
Ahead of Thailand’s plan to ease entry restrictions starting May 1, officials have inspected a Phuket airport yesterday to inspect how ready it was for an expected rise in tourist numbers. The secretary-general of Thailand’s National Security Council went to make sure Phuket International Airport was ready to welcome tourists back to the island province. Among the officials joining the…
- Thailand News
Suicide among young people in Thailand has increased ‘alarmingly’
Suicide rates among Thai teenagers and young adults in Thailand have increased ‘alarmingly’ over the past five years, according to Thailand’s Department of Mental Health. The department’s director-general blames the high rates of suicide on increased stress caused by impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thailand, the Land of Smiles, has the highest suicide rate in Southeast Asia. In 2021, there…
- Covid-19 News
Thai virologist predicts more research into Covid treatments, not vaccines
Medical researchers will shift their focus from Covid vaccine development to specific Covid treatment, says one of Thailand’s top virologists. Dr Yong Poovorawan, citing the lower investment costs as a reason for the shift. “To study a vaccine’s efficiency, it is necessary to have more than 10,000 volunteers use both real and placebo jabs. However, a study on drug efficiency…
- World News
Malaysia to ease restrictions for the unvaccinated, ditch outdoor mask mandate
From next month, Malaysia will no longer require people to wear face masks outdoors, although a mask mandate on public transport and for indoor activities will remain. The country will also lift restrictions on the unvaccinated, allowing everyone to enter public premises, whether inoculated or not. But the unvaccinated will still need a pre-travel negative PCR test. According to a…
- Tourism News
Krungsri Research gives conservative estimate of 5.5 million tourists this year
The research arm of the Bank of Ayudhya is forecasting just 5.5 million international visitors for Thailand in 2022, following the cancellation of Test & Go. Krungsri Research says that although the cancellation of the Test & Go entry scheme has generated some promising signs, the recovery of international tourism will be sluggish as a result of several factors. According…
- Phuket News
No more testing for fully vaccinated visitors coming on to Phuket
The governor of Phuket, Narong Woonciew, says all Covid-19 screening measures will be dropped for fully vaccinated visitors coming to the southern island. His announcement refers to DOMESTIC travellers. The announcement came on the back of the infection rate dropping to 98 cases a day. In addition, Narong says 70% of the island’s residents have now had a booster dose…
- World News
Unvaccinated Djokovic can compete at Wimbledon this year (transcript)
The world’s most polarising tennis player will be able to keep his anti-Covid-vaccine stance while competing for yet another historic grand slam title. Novak Djokovic – whom vaccination proponents dub “Novaxx” – will be allowed to defend his title at Wimbledon in June, following an announcement from the tennis tourney’s organisers, who said Covid-19 restrictions at the event will align…
- Phuket News
Phuket gets ready to shift into ‘endemic’ stage
Phuket Governor Narong announced in a meeting yesterday that the island province is getting ready to shift into an ‘endemic’ stage for its Covid-19 situation. At the meeting, held at Phuket Provincial Hall, it was noted that Phuket recorded an average of 162 cases a day. 87.7% of those were local infections. Only 2-3% of people confirmed infected required hospital…
- Covid-19 News
Anutin says Thailand Pass may be scrapped, if Covid-19 continues to improve
The Covid-19 situation in Thailand is beginning to stabilise and if cases continue to decrease, the Ministry of Health will consider completely cancelling the Thailand Pass, according to Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. In an interview today, Anutin said the Covid-19 situation in the kingdom is improving. He said the total number of infections, hospitalisations and deaths are all decreasing, as…
- Koh Samui News
Koh Samui eyes European tourists following cancellation of Test & Go
Samui is eyeing European tourists after the Thai government confirmed the Test & Go entry program is being ditched from the end of April. On Koh Samui, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has met with local tourism associations, as well as over 30 leading European travel agencies. The get-together was to showcase several tourism attractions, activities, and hotels on the…
- Thailand News
China warns Thailand to fix durian Covid-19 problem or face export ban
Officials at the Mohan border checkpoint in China have given Thailand 5 days to fix the issue of Covid-19 traces being found on exported durian. According to a Nation Thailand report, Chinese officials have threatened to slap an export ban on Thai durian if the problem is not resolved. Sanchai Puranachaikiri from the Thai Fresh Fruit Traders and Exporters Association…
- Tourism News
Tourism Authority of Thailand sticking to target of 300,000 visitors a month
With a glass half-full in one hand, and a calculator in the other, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is confident the country will see 300,000 tourists a month – potentially more towards the end of the year. Yuthasak Supasorn says his agency will meet with tourism operators on April 29, to discuss promotional strategies for the international market. He remains…
- Tourism News
Hotels urge government to reconsider collection of land tax as they fight to survive
The Thai Hotels Association is petitioning the government to reconsider collecting the full rate of land and building tax this year. THA president Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi says imposing the levy will have a serious impact on businesses fighting for survival. “The government should carefully look at the context, as hotel revenue remains much lower than the value of properties, especially…
- Pattaya News
Hundreds queue for free food handouts in Pattaya
Images of hundreds of residents queuing up to receive free bags of rice and other dried foods on April 23 2022 in Pattaya suggest that Thailand’s economy still has a long way to go on the road to recovery. During “lockdown” in Pattaya in 2020, huge crowds of people queuing for 200 baht food and drinks handouts from Rom Pho…
- Thailand News
More than 2,000 locals queue up to claim Covid-19 insurance after companies go broke
More than 2,000 Thais queued up at Suan Lum Night Bazaar Ratchdapisek in Bangkok to claim money from their Covid-19 insurance. Thais use the phrase “Found-Paid-Done” for the collection of insurance monies owed to them. The office of the Thai Insurance Commission is adjacent to the Suan Lum Night Bazaar. Some people had slept in front of the building for…
- World News
Demand for Singapore picks up as Covid-19 entry restrictions are eased
Data compiled by economists at Maybank Investment Bank reveals an increase in Google searches for Singapore, following the city-state’s easing of Covid restrictions. In particular, an increase in demand has been reported among travellers in Malaysia, along with Indonesia, India, and Australia. According to a Bloomberg report, Singapore has jumped ahead of its neighbours in ditching travel restrictions and adopting…
- China News
Lockdowns imposed in parts of Beijing as Covid-19 infections rise
The authorities in Beijing are imposing lockdowns in parts of the Chinese capital in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19. Mass testing has also begun on over 3 million people, according to an AP report. Since Friday, only 70 cases have been reported in the city of over 21 million people, but the authorities are taking no chances…
- Covid-19 News
Medic says Covid-19 will not be endemic while low vaccination can spark a new wave
The dean of Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine says Covid-19 is still capable of triggering a fresh wave and that more people must get vaccinated to counteract this. Dr Prasit Watanapa says while everyone now wants to see an end to the pandemic, Thailand is not yet at the stage where it can declare the virus endemic. Prasit was speaking…
- Thailand News
Monday Covid Update: 14,994 new cases; provincial totals
124 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 27,899 with 6,201 of those fatalities since the start of this year. The number of Covid-related deaths has been sitting stubbornly above 100 per day for the past 3 weeks. Meanwhile, in the last 24 hours, the CCSA reported 14,994 new Covid-19 infections and 23,524 recoveries. There…
- World News
South Korea to allow eating at movie theatres, indoor gyms
Following South Korea’s move last week to lift several Covid-19 restrictions, the country’s PM announced on Friday that next week, people will be allowed to eat in many public spaces that were earlier prevented due to the country’s Covid restrictions. These include movie theatres, indoor gyms, religious centres, trains, and busses. The PM, Kim Boo-kyum, says the government will consult…
- Covid-19 News
In Thailand, more than half of children who die from Covid-19 are under 5
In January, over half of the children who died in Thailand from Covid-19 were under 5 years old, and therefore too young to be vaccinated (under current Thai health guidelines). Meanwhile, the number of deaths from Covid-19 continue to worry health officials following the Songkran holiday, according to a Chulalongkorn University lecturer. The lecturer, Dr. Thira Worathanarat, wrote in a…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s venues to be allowed to ‘officially’ serve alcohol slightly later
Along with several back-peddles for the Thailand Pass, Thailand’s CCSA announced yesterday it also plans to ease another Covid-19 restriction- the alcohol curfew. Restaurants, and ‘restaurants’, will be able to serve alcohol until midnight, instead of 11pm. Like the Thailand Pass changes, the alcohol curfew change is set to start on May 1. Thailand’s 11pm alcohol curfew has given venue managers…
- Thailand News
No quarantine for unvaccinated travellers in Thailand and other countries
International travellers who are unvaccinated for Covid-19 will soon be able to enter Thailand by air without quarantine, as long as they provide a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of departure. They’ll just need to upload their negative test result onto the Thailand Pass system before boarding their flight. Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday…
- Thailand News
Friday Covid Update: 21,808 new cases; provincial totals
128 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 27,520 with 5,822 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 21,808 new Covid-19 cases and 19,826 recoveries. There are now 190,780 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of the new cases recorded today,…
- Thailand Travel
Thailand’s tourism council hopes to see more Chinese arrivals in October
The vice president of the Tourism Council of Thailand says that if the country fully reopens within the second quarter of the year, it just might attract at least five million international tourists during the second half of 2022. He added that if China lifts international travel restrictions on its citizens, there could be seven to eight million international tourists…
- Covid-19 News
Donated Covavax doses to be offered to the unvaccinated, people with allergies
Donated supplies of the Covavax protein sub-unit vaccine will be offered to the unvaccinated, as well as people who are allergic to other vaccine types. Opart Karnkawinpong from Thailand’s Department of Disease Control says the doses, which were donated by India and partner countries in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, have already been sent to the Medical Sciences Department to be…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s Prayut urges schools to follow Covid-19 measures
Ahead of the upcoming new school semester, Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday called on schools to follow so-called ‘6-6-7’ safety measures for Covid-19. The first six measures of the plan include well known precautions such as social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands, and temperature checks. The next six measures include school check-in and check-out, surveys and examinations, and self-quarantine. The…
- Covid-19 News
Pfizer Covid-19 treatment, Paxlovid, “strongly recommended” by WHO
The World Health Organisation has given its backing to Pfizer’s Covid-19 treatment, Paxlovid, recommending it over the alternatives. The WHO says it “strongly recommends” the treatment for Covid patients with milder symptoms, who remain at high risk of being hospitalised. However, it adds that, as with vaccines, inequality in accessing the drug remains a problem for lower and middle-income countries.…
