Thailand to ease mask mandates, entry restrictions for tourists
Bangkok, Jun 17 (EFE).- Thailand’s government Friday announced an end to the mandatory use of masks outdoors and an easing of restrictions on the entry of overseas travelers with the hope of reactivating tourism in the country, one of the main drivers of the economy.
The Centre for Covid‐19 Situation Administration said at a press conference in Bangkok that face masks will no longer be mandatory outdoors when published in Royal Gazette, expected to be early next month.
Some 4.4 million coronavirus infections and more than 30,000 deaths have been recorded in the country since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
From July, overseas travelers will also be exempt from filling out an online form before entering the country.
The Thai authorities also announced that they will lift the requirement of temperature screening of passengers at airports and of health insurance with Covid-19 coverage.
Since May 1, vaccinated travelers arriving in the country have been exempt from quarantine and allowed to enter with a vaccination certificate.
Unvaccinated people are required to present a negative PCR test result.
The easing of restrictions come amid a downward trend of the pandemic in Thailand and is aimed at reactivating the economy of the country, whose tourism sector has been badly hit by the health crisis.
One of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, Thailand received some 428,000 foreign tourists last year, 93.6 percent less than the almost seven million visitors it had in 2020, according to the tourism and sports ministry’s data.
The tourism sector also accounts for between 12 percent and 20 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. EFE
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