BANGKOK, 30 Sept 2020:
As Thailand continues to see a lower number of Covid-19 cases, the kingdom will receive its first foreign tourists next week – marking the gradual restart of the tourism sector with stringent safety measures in place to curb a second wave of infections.
Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, said the first group of 150 Chinese tourists from Guangzhou, China on a chartered flight would arrive at the resort island of Phuket on Oct 8.
He said another group of seven Chinese businessmen would arrive at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on a private jet the same day.
“A group of 126 Chinese tourists from Guangdong, China will fly to Bangkok on Oct 25 while another 120 tourists from Scandinavian countries will arrive on Nov 1.
“Three hotels in Phuket, and one each in Chon Buri and Buri Ram are chosen as alternative state quarantine (ASQ) centres for foreign tourists entering the kingdom,” he said at a press conference yesterday.
All foreign travellers entering the kingdom will stay in the ASQ centres for 14 days. Besides that, they need health insurance and be tested Covid-19-negative from 72 hours before arrival.
Meanwhile, prime minister Prayuth Chan o-cha said Thailand is limiting the number of tourists entering the kingdom and a set of strict measures had been put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“The decision has been made carefully. Tracking apps and wrist bands will help us keep track of them.”
Meanwhile, government spokesperson, Anucha Burapachaisri said the cabinet yesterday approved the sixth extension of the State of Emergency until the end of October as the global Covid-19 pandemic situation remained worrying.
“The State of Emergency is essential in coping with the pandemic as well as to help mitigate the impact of Covid-19.”
Meanwhile, Thailand has reported 14 new Covid-19 cases, including a 31-year-old Indian mother and her nine-month-old daughter, and zero fatalities over the last 24 hours, bringing the tally to 3,559 cases and 59 fatalities.
The new cases including seven Thai soldiers, aged between 29 and 53 years, returned from South Sudan on a UN peacekeeping mission. To date, 23 Thai soldiers who returned from the mission have been infected with the virus.
Besides that, three Thai women aged between 28 and 50, arriving from Hong Kong, a 44-year-old Thai woman arriving from Turkey, and a 34-year-old Indian man arriving from India tested positive for Covid-19.
– Bernama