Thailand to grant entry to unvaccinated visitors without restrictions

Bangkok: Thailand has reversed its entry policy on travellers. Its health minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that visitors don't have to produce proof of vaccination because there is a sufficient level of immunisation in China and across the world. "Unvaccinated people will also be granted entry without restriction."

He told AFP that checking evidence of vaccinations was inconvenient and a panel of health experts agreed to the move of withdrawing the rule. On Saturday, aviation authorities announced that proof of vaccination will be checked due to an expected surge in visitors from China where a Covid-19 outbreak is going on.

Thailand is having a peak tourist season since travel restrictions were removed last year. The tourism sector of the country struggled greatly due to the pandemic. In November 2022, Thailand recorded 1.75 million visitors. Before the pandemic, about a quarter of the tourists were from China. This year, Thailand is expecting 7-10 million Chinese visitors.

Anutin clarified that Thailand still requires foreigners to show proof that their health insurance covers Covid-19 if their next destination requires a negative pre-entry test.