quarantine

  • China NewsChina plans to cut mandatory quarantine for foreign travellers

    China plans to cut mandatory quarantine for foreign travellers

    China is reportedly planning to cut mandatory quarantines for foreign travellers as early as next month. According to Bloomberg News, two anonymous sources say that officials are considering a “0+3” policy, which means that arrivals into the country won’t be required to spend time in a quarantine hotel or an isolation facility. China will continue to ease Covid-19 restrictions, according to its ambassador to…

  • Covid-19 NewsThai health authorities recommending the re-instatement of mask wearing

    Thai health authorities recommending the re-instatement of mask wearing

    The highly contagious BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants are currently causing problems in Thailand, just like they are in other countries – more hospitalisations but no trend of a higher number of deaths. The downward trend, since April 1, has plateaued over the past month and started creeping up again. With statistics from many countries suggesting that BA.4 and BA.5…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Today | CCSA confirms possible easing of mask mandate

    Thailand News Today | CCSA confirms possible easing of mask mandate

    The CCSA has acknowledged that face masks in Bangkok may soon be dropped. Although no date has been announced yet, the CCSA says the easing of mask-wearing in some public locations is on the table, as well as allowing night venues to stay open until 2 am. Nightlife venues were allowed to “officially” open until midnight starting June 1, although…

  • Tourism NewsHospitels close the door on Covid and hotels reopen for business as usual

    Hospitels close the door on Covid and hotels reopen for business as usual

    With Covid-19 projected to be labelled as endemic next month, hospitels and alternate quarantine sites have resumed normal operations. Hospitels are hotels that provided rooms for people who had mild Covid symptoms. They helped ease the strain on the kingdom’s hospitals during the peak period of the coronavirus pandemic. But now the service is consigned to history, according to the…

  • Covid-19 NewsShorter quarantine times proposed for Thailand. From 7 days down to…?

    Shorter quarantine times proposed for Thailand. From 7 days down to…?

    Starting in May, high risk groups who have been in close contact with Covid 19 will still have to self isolate at home, but the time will be shortened from 7 days to 5 days. While the self isolation period is shorter, they will need to monitor their health for another 5 days, according to the Director-general of the Department…

  • Covid-19 NewsCCSA delays easing entry restrictions to Thailand… until after Songkran festival

    CCSA delays easing entry restrictions to Thailand… until after Songkran festival

    The CCSA has announced today that they will hold off on adjusting the current entry restrictions for foreign travellers to Thailand until after next week’s Songkran festival, as they continue monitoring the spread of Covid-19 in the country. After today’s meeting, CCSA officials said they plan to adjust their measures in May, depending on the Covid situation after Thai New…

  • World NewsSingapore to end pandemic-era restrictions, embrace ‘living with covid’ strategy

    Singapore to end pandemic-era restrictions, embrace ‘living with covid’ strategy

    Singapore is set to end most of its Covid-19 restrictions starting next Tuesday, March 29, as the country shifts from a pandemic to an endemic state of mind — learning to live with Covid, instead of trying to eliminate it. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the significant policy changes in a national address on Thursday… “Our fight against COVID-19…

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

    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…

  • World NewsMalaysian minister announces vaccinated travel lane with Thailand, Cambodia

    Malaysian minister announces vaccinated travel lane with Thailand, Cambodia

    Malaysia’s Transport Minister announced today that the country’s government is preparing to start a Vaccinated Travel Lane with Thailand and Cambodia as early as the middle of this month. The minister said the VTL will follow the same model as the VTL between Singapore’s Changi International Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport. In the VTL, travellers who enter Malaysia take…

  • World NewsBali reopens to international tourists after almost 2 years

    Bali reopens to international tourists after almost 2 years

    Yesterday, Bali reopened to foreign tourists with its first international flight in almost two years. The flight was with Singapore airlines, with 109 foreign travellers, and 47 Indonesians. The foreign travellers are required to quarantine in a designated hotel for three to seven days. There are 27 designated hotels for them to choose from. The governor said he hopes in…

  • World NewsIt’s official: Vietnam will reopen to tourists on March 15

    It’s official: Vietnam will reopen to tourists on March 15

    In a move made three months earlier than planned, Vietnam will completely reopen to tourists starting March 15. Visitors to the country will still have to quarantine for 24 hours, and test negative for Covid-19 before departure and upon arrival. The Vietnamese government said in a statement that the reopening is part of its new response to controlling Covid-19, which…

  • World NewsTaiwan to ease entry restrictions, cut quarantine to 10 days in March

    Taiwan to ease entry restrictions, cut quarantine to 10 days in March

    Taiwan plans to relax its strict COVID-19 quarantine policy beginning in March, in order to reopen to the world and gradually resume normal life, the government said on Tuesday. Since the start of the pandemic, Taiwan has enforced a blanket two-week quarantine on everyone arriving to the island, even while its neighbours in Asia began implementing reopening strategies last year,…

  • World NewsUPDATE: Indonesia welcomes fully vaxxed travellers with 5 day quarantine from today

    UPDATE: Indonesia welcomes fully vaxxed travellers with 5 day quarantine from today

    Fully vaxxed and dreaming of white beaches? Starting from today, Indonesia welcomes you with a reduced quarantine of 5 days. You might even be able to book a direct flight to Bali this month, if you’re traveling from select countries. For those with a single jab, the duration of quarantine is reduced from 10 to 7 days. Ministry of Coordinating…

  • Thailand NewsInmate with Covid-19 escapes from Koh Samui Hospital, officials set 20,000 baht bounty

    Inmate with Covid-19 escapes from Koh Samui Hospital, officials set 20,000 baht bounty

    There’s a 20,000 baht bounty for those who have information that will lead to the arrest of a Covid-infected inmate who escaped from Koh Samui Hospital. The news follows a statement from Thailand’s Justice Minister on an uptick of inmate escapes, particularly involving those who were in quarantine before being released into the prison population or at a hospital being…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya discusses “hotel isolation” for Test & Go, Sandbox travellers with Covid-19

    Pattaya discusses “hotel isolation” for Test & Go, Sandbox travellers with Covid-19

    After hundreds of horror stories of foreign tourists being required to stay in a quarantine hotels around Thailand after testing positive for Covid-19, officials in Pattaya discussed a so-called “hotel isolation” to allow travellers to continue staying at their hotel or resort if they test positive for the virus and have mild or no symptoms. The idea is not to…

  • Phuket NewsBritish journalist documents beer-fuelled parties with Covid patients at Phuket quarantine hotel

    British journalist documents beer-fuelled parties with Covid patients at Phuket quarantine hotel

    British journalist Jonathan Miller was declared to be at high risk of Covid-19 after entering Thailand and ended up in a quarantine hotel in Phuket… which he says was more like an “Asian Hotel California” with “late-night discos fuelled by local beer.” Miller, known in Thailand as the first foreign reporter to interview King Vajiralongkorn after his coronation, wrote a…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Today | New Requirements for Resumed Test & Go Program

    Thailand News Today | New Requirements for Resumed Test & Go Program

    Test & Go is back on, and vaccinated travelers will be able to register for (almost) quarantine-free entry to Thailand starting February 1. There have been slight revisions to the rules, now requiring travelers to have proof of their hotel booking on the first and fifth day of their stay in Thailand when they undergo RT-PCR tests. At its general…

  • World News13-day quarantine enacted for travellers from Thailand to Japan

    13-day quarantine enacted for travellers from Thailand to Japan

    Japan has announced new restrictions for travellers from Thailand entering the country, who must now undergo a 13-day quarantine on arrival. The new restriction will go into effect tomorrow and will affect travellers coming from Thailand and 4 other countries. The new restrictions follow a farther-reaching announcement on January 15 easing restrictions for the rest of the world, replacing the…

  • Tourism NewsCovid-19 infection rate, totals in international travellers surging

    Covid-19 infection rate, totals in international travellers surging

    While the government suspended the Test & Go scheme in order to curb the spread of the Omicron variant last month, people who are already approved are still trickling in, and many have come as part of the Sandbox programme. Despite throttling the influx of international travellers, the number of Covid-19 infections brought in from abroad has been steadily rising,…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid-19 exposure quarantine may be reduced to 7 days

    Covid-19 exposure quarantine may be reduced to 7 days

    As officials reevaluate the Covid-19 restrictions piled on with the outbreak of the Omicron variant, the current directive of 14-day quarantine for groups who are considered at risk with Covid-19 infections may be reduced to just 7 days. The Permanent Secretary for Public Health said that the Ministry of Public Health is considering reducing the time that people are kept…

  • Thailand NewsTravellers from Africa told to re-register for Thailand Pass to change entry scheme

    Travellers from Africa told to re-register for Thailand Pass to change entry scheme

    Starting tomorrow, some entry restrictions lift for those travelling to Thailand from countries in Africa. Those from nations in Africa who have been approved to enter through the Alternative Quarantine scheme can now apply to enter under the more relaxed Sandbox entry scheme, which allows travellers to roam freely in a designated province or district rather than undergoing isolation at…

  • Phuket NewsHave a Test & Go QR code to enter Thailand? Read this.

    Have a Test & Go QR code to enter Thailand? Read this.

    Details emerging from last Friday’s deliberations by the CCSA have now been published in the Royal Gazette, enacting them into law. Missing from the published guidelines about changes to the Thailand Pass, is any reference to a cut-off date which was both stated and then published by government representatives on Friday following a meeting of the CCSA. Speaking to the…

  • Covid-19 NewsTwo foreign travellers wanted by Phuket authorities, Covid-positive and left hotel quarantine

    Two foreign travellers wanted by Phuket authorities, Covid-positive and left hotel quarantine

    Two French travellers are wanted by Phuket authorities leaving their hotel quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19. Thai media used a word meaning “escape” and posted mugshots of the man and woman like suspects on a wanted criminal poster. Authorities have asked those who have seen the travellers, who are both around 35 years old, to contact the Patong Police…

  • Covid-19 NewsRestaurant alcohol sales, tightening quarantine on CCSA agenda today

    Restaurant alcohol sales, tightening quarantine on CCSA agenda today

    It’s an all-too familiar scenario at this stage, and one that will have restaurateurs and others in the hospitality and tourism sectors putting their heads in their hands. While we must emphasise that nothing is confirmed yet, the CCSA meets today to consider a number of tough curbs proposed by the Public Health Ministry. Based on Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s…

  • Phuket NewsPhuket hotels to offer isolation rooms for asymptomatic guests who refuse hospital

    Phuket hotels to offer isolation rooms for asymptomatic guests who refuse hospital

    Phuket hoteliers have come up with a solution for asymptomatic guests who test positive for the Omicron variant but refuse to be transferred to hospital. Kongsak Khoopongsakorn from the Thai Hotels Association says in order to keep Phuket’s re-opening going, tourists who test positive but have no symptoms should be offered isolation facilities at their hotel instead of having to…

  • World NewsTravellers who break Philippines quarantine rules face US,000 fine or 6 months in jail

    Travellers who break Philippines quarantine rules face US$1,000 fine or 6 months in jail

    The Philippines has issued a warning to incoming travellers that those who break quarantine rules might face fines of up to 50,000 Philippine pesos (US$1,000) or six months in prison as it prepares to deal with the new strain of Omicron in the wake of a spike in Covid-19 cases. During a television interview yesterday, President Duterte’s spokesperson, Karlos Nograles,…

  • Covid-19 NewsUPDATE: Tourist who left quarantine, tested positive for Covid-19, turns himself in

    UPDATE: Tourist who left quarantine, tested positive for Covid-19, turns himself in

    UPDATE: Thai media reports that the traveller who tested positive for Covid-19 and left his quarantine hotel without permission has contacted the Embassy of Israel in Thailand to turn himself in to police in Koh Samui. The Royal Thai Police deputy spokesperson for told Thai media the travellers could face criminal charges for violating the Emergency Decree. Officials are still looking…

  • Thailand NewsUPDATE: Registration closes for Test & Go and Sandbox, except Phuket

    UPDATE: Registration closes for Test & Go and Sandbox, except Phuket

    Registration is closing today for travellers wishing to enter Thailand under the Test & Go quarantine exemption programme and the Sandbox entry scheme, with the exception of Phuket. In an urgent meeting this afternoon, chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration decided to stop accepting new tourists under the entry schemes starting at midnight. The government…

  • World NewsTravelling to the UK? Order a PCR test early, high demand slams provider

    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“Sandbox” entry scheme to remain at 7 days, CCSA reverses move to cut down stay

    “Sandbox” entry scheme to remain at 7 days, CCSA reverses move to cut down stay

    The period of stay under the “sandbox” entry scheme will continue to be seven days. The CCSA approved to cut the period down to five days but tightened measures after the emergence of the Omicron variant. Under the entry scheme, travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 can enter and roam freely in a designated province or area, such as…