COVID-19: Thailand plans to receive travellers from designated locations

As Thailand continues to record its 20th day without a local transmission, four ministries - Foreign Ministry, Interior Ministry, Public Health Ministry, and Tourism and Sports Ministry have drawn a travel bubbles plan and would propose the plan to Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on June 17.

Deputy government spokesperson, Trisuree Traisoranakul said the travel bubble is aimed at boosting the tourism industry and to cushion the economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If the plan (travel bubbles) goes well, Thailand will reopen its door to more travellers from other countries,” she said in a statement.

Under the travel bubbles plan, Trisuree said business travellers and medical visitors from selected countries that have managed to contain COVID-19 outbreak will not have to undergo the 14-day quarantine.

However, she said these travellers and visitors must be free from the deadly virus.

On Friday, CCSA spokesman Thaweesilp Wissanuyothin said Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan o-cha has agreed to the travel bubbles plan in principle.

He said travel could be reopened with countries and territories such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and some Middle East countries.

Meanwhile, CCSA said a Thai female student who returned from the United States was the latest COVID-19 patient in Thailand, bringing the tally to 3,135 cases, making it 20 days without a local transmission in the kingdom.

Thailand has reported zero fatalities and the death toll remains at 58, over the last 24 hours.

The 25-year-old student who arrived in Thailand on June 8, showed no symptoms of COVID-19 and is undergoing 14-day quarantine at a state facility.

From April 3 to June 13, a total of 38,944 Thai nationals who returned from overseas, underwent the 14-day quarantine at state facilities.

“A total of 28,746 returnees had completed the quarantine. To date, 198 returnees were tested positive of COVID-19,” the statement said.