After a month of almost total reopening to visitors, the Thailand decided in just 24 hours to reintroduce a quarantine for travellers in the face of fears of the Omicron variant. The government has announced that entry conditions may be reviewed on 4 January.
While the Kingdom seems to have the covid pandemic well under control, the appearance of the Omicron variant is forcing one of the rare Asian countries once again open to the world to take a break. After announcing on Monday 20 December that it was considering reinstating the quarantine, the government took the decision on Tuesday.
The government has therefore decided to temporarily suspend the entry of Thais and foreigners under the "Test & Go" programme.. It reintroduces compulsory quarantine to keep the Omicron variant of the coronavirus at bay. Travellers must now undergo an RT-PCR test and will be quarantined for 7 to 10 days, depending on their country of origin and their status.
A temporary restriction according to the Thai government
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has said that the government will stop approving new entry applications under its 'Test & Go' programme. Only the Phuket Sandbox remains open to visitors. This programme allows tourists travelling to Phuket to enjoy relative freedom on the island exclusively.
This restriction will initially be in force until 4 January. However, it does not apply to visitors whose applications had previously been approved.. They will still be able to travel to the country under the same conditions as before. A government spokesman told the Bangkok Post that visitors who have been approved for the Test & Go programme undergo two RT-PCR tests on arrival and their health is monitored.
The Prime Minister said that around 200,000 visitors had applied to enter the country through the Test & Go and Sandbox programmes, and that around 110,000 of them had already arrived. According to the government, however, there is no question of closing the country in the short term, insisting on the temporary nature of this restriction.
Singapore suspends its VTL travel corridors
However, Thailand's decision is being emulated. Singapore has announced that it is suspending the sale of airline tickets under its VTL (Vaccinated Travel Lane) rules. Flights within this corridor allowed nationals of certain countries (including France) to enter the country without quarantine. The new rule applies from 22 December until 20 January. It applies not only to air flights but also to land entries from Malaysia.
Singapore wishes to study the response to be given to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant and its consequences. The VTL corridors are due to resume from 21 January, but the island state will be imposing a 50% gauge on current ticket sales quotas - air or bus.
