Friday, 20 March: Thailand Increases Inbound Travel Requirements

[Udon Map]

Updated Friday, 20 March: Thailand Increases Inbound Travel Restrictions

From Reuters through The Bangkok Post

A traveller wearing a face mask at Don Mueang airport on Friday. (Photo by Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

The government will extend the requirement of medical certificates and health insurance from Sunday to cover all visitors to the country regardless of nationalities to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Thailand reported 60 new coronavirus cases, the biggest daily jump in the number of cases so far to take its total infections to 272, the Public Health Ministry said on Thursday.

Travellers to Thailand have to now show authorities a health certificate, issued no more than 72 hours before travelling, confirming that they have been tested and are free from the virus. They must also present an insurance policy showing minimum coverage for coronavirus of not less than US$100,000.

This measure was previously a requirement for places the government classified as "disease infected zones" — China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Italy and Iran.

"We are blocking infection from coming into the country. That is why people need medical certificates and health insurance to enter Thailand," Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Thursday. "This will now include all countries to minimise infection so we can control it," he said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) announced on Thursday night that the new measure will take effect on Sunday. It also made clear the requirement for Thais returning to the country.

Since people cannot get tested for the virus in most places at the moment due to the high costs and shortages of test kits, the requirement is in effect a travel ban although the government stopped short of describing it as such.

"The measure aims to minimise the number of arrivals as much as possible," said government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul also said the measure should discourage foreigners from travelling to Thailand. "We are enforcing strict measures so that it will be very difficult for them to come here."

The Interior Ministry will also close all borders, he added, without elaborating.

The introduction of the new measures comes as dozens of civil society organisations in Thailand demand the government close the border and restrict people's movement to limit infection.

CAAT requires Thai returnees to show fit-to-fly health certificates and a letter acknowledging their return issued by a Thai embassy, a Thai consulate-general or the Foreign Ministry.

"For passengers with Thai nationality returning to the Kingdom of Thailand, the air operators are required to perform the screening as follows: (1) Check passengers’ health certificate confirming that the passengers are fit to fly. (2) Check passengers’ letter issued by the Royal Thai Embassy, Thai Consular Office or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs certifying that the passengers are Thai nationals returning to Thailand," the CAAT announcement said. (continued below)

Thailand has recorded a large jump in the number of infections this week which the health authority has divided into new imported cases and those with connection to earlier cases.

The rise in the number of infections has led the government to close down schools, universities, and entertainment venues around the country which started to take effect on Wednesday.

Thailand has recorded one death since the outbreak, with 42 patients having recovered and gone home and 229 still being treated in hospital.

Courtesy of The Bangkok Post
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1882315

[Giggle]

The introduction of the new measures comes as dozens of civil society organisations in Thailand demand the government close the border and restrict people's movement to limit infection.

Is this closed-minded, hysterical xenophobia, or only when the idea is President Trump's?

[Bandung_Dero]

Either I'm reading this wrong or it's TOTALLY unrealistic! Forget Farang - USD$100,000 travel insurance covering the virus = IMHO impossible OR translation issue, either way it would equate to Tourists = zero, that will f#&k em! Are they trying to make it near on impossible for their own citizens to return home requiring certification from Thai Embassy's overseas - OR is it simply a Passport they require?

[FrazeeDK]

wife just talked to the lady who does her paperwork at the Nong Khai Bridge when she goes across to Laos.. It appears the bridge at Nong Kai is closed 20 March to 20 April.. We don't know exact details..

[747man]

wife just talked to the lady who does her paperwork at the Nong Khai Bridge when she goes across to Laos.. It appears the bridge at Nong Kai is closed 20 March to 20 April.. We don't know exact details..

Oh ! S*it,Gonna have to start Bulk Buying in Tesco's & Big C Then....

[Doodoo]

Why would you go and post something like that???

[stattointhailand]

"confirming that they have been tested and are free from the virus. They must also present an insurance policy showing minimum coverage for coronavirus of not less than US$100,000."

point ONE .... how the f*** does someone get tested when states like West Virginia in USA have only received their first test kit today ........ pretty sure they wont want to waste the valuable kits on someone having a jolly in LOS.
point TWO ....... What Insurance company in their right minds would give that sort of coverage during a pandemic for an "act of god" without charging an insane premium or having no intention of paying out on it?

[Udon Map]

wife just talked to the lady who does her paperwork at the Nong Khai Bridge when she goes across to Laos.. It appears the bridge at Nong Kai is closed 20 March to 20 April.. We don't know exact details..

Interesting. I went across yesterday for a few hours with no problem. Temperature check on returning to Thailand. Separate line at Thai Immigration for Lao workers; the queues were incredibly long, just a mass of people. There are automated gates for Thai passport holders; I went through the line for regular (non-Lao, non-Thai) visitors with passports. The queue was about five people in front of me.

[stattointhailand]

Anybody got a boat & a long rope to get Beer Lao supplies over?

[choi choi]

"They must also present an insurance policy showing minimum coverage for coronavirus of not less than US$100,000." So does that mean when/if I go UK later this year, I cant return? (I am Old and unable to obtain an health insurance !)

[stattointhailand]

Might be better off postponing the trip choi choi, looking at news feeds from UK you will be much safer here for the next few months. If things worsen in UK (no reason to suspect they wont) I doubt they would even consider doing a test for you just coz you wanted to fly back to Thailand 72 hours later

[Khun Paul]

"They must also present an insurance policy showing minimum coverage for coronavirus of not less than US$100,000." So does that mean when/if I go UK later this year, I cant return? (I am Old and unable to obtain an health insurance !)

It means that people entering the Kingdom will not put more financial pressure on the health System than it is currently experiencing, at the moment Thailand is not having the vast mass of people having the Coronavirus nor are they treating more patients than they can currently cope with , but like the UK it may have to sign up for the private hospitals to assist in beds and staff.

I would personally NOT travel outside Thailand until this is over , it would appear from various News sources that being in Europe or the UK is not at the moment a good idea, it will take months to get back to normal While trade is not being disrupted much personal travel is and when it restarts, we will have travel but many carriers will have the wrong planes in the wrong location for flying passengers.
I have cancelled 2020, looking forward to 2021, before I make any plans to travel

[glalt]

One of my old retired friends bought 10 boxes of Chang beer. His biggest worry is that they may close the breweries.

[Zidane]

One of my old retired friends bought 10 boxes of Chang beer. His biggest worry is that they may close the breweries.

Now that could be serious...
In the UK and Australia they only stockpile toilet rolls but in Thailand it could be beer....

[AlexO]

"They must also present an insurance policy showing minimum coverage for coronavirus of not less than US$100,000." So does that mean when/if I go UK later this year, I cant return? (I am Old and unable to obtain an health insurance !)

It means that people entering the Kingdom will not put more financial pressure on the health System than it is currently experiencing, at the moment Thailand is not having the vast mass of people having the Coronavirus nor are they treating more patients than they can currently cope with , but like the UK it may have to sign up for the private hospitals to assist in beds and staff.

I would personally NOT travel outside Thailand until this is over , it would appear from various News sources that being in Europe or the UK is not at the moment a good idea, it will take months to get back to normal While trade is not being disrupted much personal travel is and when it restarts, we will have travel but many carriers will have the wrong planes in the wrong location for flying passengers.
I have cancelled 2020, looking forward to 2021, before I make any plans to travel

Do not disagree with anything you are saying Paul, trouble is if you need 'urgent' hospital care for Covid-19 it normally requires what can only be provided in an ICU facility. These are in short supply in private hospitals in the UK and generally in private hospitals in Thailand as the type of in and out fast type of treatments they specialise in don't really require large numbers of ICU beds. If the spread is anywhere near as fast as is being experienced in Europe then it will not be long (a few days) before Thai hospital facilities are overwhelmed. After that it will be down to the local witch doctors to deal with the sick. In response to Choi Choi's post. Stay battened down in Thailand as health certificates and medical insurance will become increasingly unobtainable and It will not be too long before the Thai Government stops all cross border travel by land or air. Stay safe, as me old mum always says 'whiskey cures everything or at least you don't feel the pain'.

[sometimewoodworker]

"confirming that they have been tested and are free from the virus. They must also present an insurance policy showing minimum coverage for coronavirus of not less than US$100,000."

point ONE .... how the f*** does someone get tested when states like West Virginia in USA have only received their first test kit today ........ pretty sure they wont want to waste the valuable kits on someone having a jolly in LOS.
point TWO ....... What Insurance company in their right minds would give that sort of coverage during a pandemic for an "act of god" without charging an insane premium or having no intention of paying out on it?

Point 1) if you are in the USA because of the government/president that was chosen you have virtually no chance of getting a test unless you are very sick, very wealthy or your travel is a national necessity.

So you chose your “leader” (or to visit “his” country) you now have to suffer the consequences

There are very few countries that have the capacity or desire to test non symptomatic individuals so you have a de facto travel ban for most without the bad press of declaring a ban.

Point 2)There is a reasonably priced insurance available from an agent here. You will have to decide if the company is trustworthy.

[Udon Map]

Gov't. Temporarily Blocks All Inbound Travel to Thailand
State quarantine facilities, measures being prepared

From The Bangkok Post

Thursday, April 2, 2020

The check-in counter of Thai Airways International is closed at Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan province. The government blocks arrivals in the country until April 15 to curb Covid-19. (Photo by Varuth Hirunyatheb)

The government will block all travel to Thailand, including by Thais, for half a month to prepare "state quarantine" facilities after more local patients have been linked to imported cases.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government needs time to properly prepare for state quarantine.

"Related agencies will in the meantime prepare the places and coordinate with Thai embassies to ensure all Thais returning home will be quarantined and get proper medical checks," he said.

Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Thursday that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told the centre that arrivals by foreigners and Thais would have to be slowed down "to stop the disease".

"If the number of arrivals does not drop, people in our country will be infected," he said.

The new measure started immediately on Thursday and will continue until April 15. It will not apply to people who earlier sought permission to travel to Thailand, he said.

Affected Thai people should contact Thai embassies and followed their instructions, he said.

Dr Taweesin said recent arrivals had proved to be a major source of local infections. The cases included the infected Thai man who had visited Pakistan and died on a south-bound train in Prachuab Khiri Khan province.

He also cited six Thais who returned from meetings in Italy, four of whom tested positive. The cases led to the quarantine of 50 other people.

Besides, of the 132 Thai who had attended religious activities in Malaysia, 47 contracted the disease, four died and about 1,000 others were quarantined.

Of the 56 Thais who had attended religious ceremonies in Indonesia, 32 were infected and about 500 were quarantined.

Four Thai people from England contracted the disease and one of them died. This group included one who concealed his symptoms and returned to the country, Dr Taweesin said. About 200 people were quarantined as a result.

Besides, 19 Thais crossing the border from Poi Pet town of Cambodia were infected and about 300 had to be quarantined.

Some visitors proved to carry the disease and most of them came from Europe, Dr Taweesin said.

"This is a lesson and we must adapt ourselves," he said.

Up until now, Thais seeking to return home by air were required to have fit-to-fly certificates and letters from embassies comfirming they are Thai nationals seeking to return home.

Foreign travellers to Thailand had to show authorities a health certificate, issued no more than 72 hours before travelling, confirming that they had been tested and are free from the virus. They must also present an insurance policy showing minimum coverage for coronavirus of not less than US$100,000.

It remains unclear whether these measures will come into effect again after April 15.


Courtesy of The Bangkok Post
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... all-travel