Thailand opens doors to Bangladeshis

Published at 06:34 pm October 3rd, 2021

People enjoy at a beach as Phuket opens for foreigners, who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, to visit the resort island without quarantine, in Phuket, Thailand on September 19, 2021 Reuters

Thai authorities shorten quarantine period for fully vaccinated tourists

Travellers of all countries, including Bangladesh, are now eligible to enter Thailand through the Sandbox Scheme.

Moreover, the Thai authorities have also shortened the quarantine period for fully vaccinated tourists, the Royal Thai Embassy in Dhaka said in a statement on Sunday.

Travellers, fully inoculated with vaccines approved by Thailand, at least 14 days before leaving for the Southeast Asian country have to stay quarantined for seven days.

List of vaccines authorized by the Thai Ministry of Public Health include AstraZ\eneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Sinopharm — the four shots currently being administered in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, travellers who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated have to undergo a 10-day quarantine.

Children under the age of 18 who are not vaccinated and are travelling with fully vaccinated parents or guardians will have the same quarantine period as their parents/guardians.

A statement of the Royal Thai Embassy in Dhaka on visitors from Bangladesh, issued on Sunday, October 3, 2021 All fully vaccinated travellers from Bangladesh have been requested to submit a Covid-19 inoculation certificate issued by the Health Ministry while registering for Thailand's certificate of entry.

Also Read - Sandbox now open to everyone

Following the decision made by the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand and the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), the Royal Thai Embassy announced changes in measures regarding the Sandbox Scheme and quarantine period, effective from October 1 onwards.

The Sandbox Scheme that began on July 1 has attracted more than 38,000 visitors to Phuket and generated an estimated 2.3 billion baht (around $68 million) in revenue, Thai authorities said this week.

The reduction in the quarantine to seven days applies to those visiting Phuket, Surat Thani (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao), Phangnga (Khao Lak and Koh Yao) and Krabi (Koh Phi Phi, Koh Ngai and Railay Beach), reports Bangkok Post.

The sandbox program is the first step in a plan to open up more tourist destinations — starting with Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri (Pattaya), Phetchaburi (Cha-am), and Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin) — to vaccinated foreign visitors from November 1.

By then no quarantine will be necessary, the authorities hope.