The 64 milion dollar question on everyone’s lips right now is when will Thailand reopen?
Well words on my lips I guess, but it does appear that Thailand have set into motion a plan to start getting the tourists back by gently reopening up in certain areas around the country. It appears the travel industry is gearing up for a return to small normalcy with borders reopening, easing of quarantine requirements, and the creation of travel bubbles and Thailand has implemented significant relaxation of COVID-19 measures for entry into the Kingdom, as the first step in reopening to all international travel.
As of beginning of June, the total reported positive cases of COVID-19 are 141,217 with 920 deaths.
When will Thailand Reopen?
The country has laid down a roadmap to the full resumption of its tourism sector. Under this, Thailand will reopen to international arrivals in three stages in the second, third, and fourth quarters of 2021.
Stage 1: April to June 2021
Starting May 6, 2021, all travelers, Thai and foreigners, will be required to undergo 14-day quarantine regardless of nationality or vaccination status.
A ‘0+7 nights + designated routes’ model will be applicable, meaning that during quarantine, vaccinated foreign tourists will be allowed to engage in leisure activities within the premises of their hotels or other accommodation establishments.
They will also be allowed to engage in outside travel activities within designated areas in their selected destination of arrival.
Stage 2: July to September
In the second stage of the reopening roadmap, under the ‘Phuket Sandbox’ program, Thailand will lift all its quarantine requirements in only Phuket for vaccinated travelers and will be the first destination to do so since the onset of the COVID pandemic.
However, they will be restricted to activities within designated areas in Phuket for 7 days, and only then will be allowed to visit other areas.
Vaccinated tourists to other destinations in Thailand will still be required to quarantine under the ‘0+7 nights + designated routes’ model.
Originally set to be implemented on 1 July, the Thai government was forced to reset the timeline for the reopening to an undisclosed date due to a spike in COVID cases.
Stage 3: October to December
Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (Ko Samui, Koh Phangna & Koh Tao), Chon Buri (Pattaya), and Chiang Mai will join Phuket in welcoming vaccinated travellers quarantine-free.
Just like Phuket, their travel activities will be limited to the designated areas in these destinations for 7 days before they are allowed to visit the rest of Thailand.
Stage 4: January 2022 on wards
The Thai authorities have hinted at a fourth stage to introduced in January 2022 wherein any foreign tourist who has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and holds a vaccine passport will be able to enter Thailand without any quarantine. However, as of now, only the first three stages remain concrete.
The following are necessary for travel to Thailand.
a Certificate of Entry (COE) issued by the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate
a COVID-19 health insurance policy with a minimum coverage of US$100,000
confirmation of Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) hotel booking,
a medical certificate with an RT-PCR laboratory result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected (issued no more than 72 hours before departure).
For foreign travelers coming to Thailand.
If you are flying into Thailand from abroad, a fit-to-fly certificate will no longer be required. Only the COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken and conducted within 72 hours before the flight is needed. For Thai nationals, they may choose to submit either a fit-to-fly certificate or a COVID-19 medical certificate.
All travelers both Thai nationals and foreign nationals are required to undergo a mandatory quarantine at the accredited Alternative State Quarantine or ASQ Hotels accredited by the Ministry of Health.
Once you have made it here and re looking for ways to get down to Koh Tao as quickly as possible then have a look Bangkok Airways for flights direct to Koh Samui, and Lomprayah Ferries that can get you from your hotel in Bangkok direct to Koh Tao.
