Thailand’s latest round of rewriting entry rules sowed further confusion when new requirements that all travelers present proof of vaccination went into effect today.
The Civil Aviation Authority’s Saturday order that all arriving adults must provide evidence of full vaccination sent travelers scrambling for clarification, with some airlines appearing to enforce different interpretations in response.
But Twitter travel Svengali Richard Barrow noted that, under a last-minute tweak inserted into the rules, the unvaccinated would be allowed onto their flights but faced testing on arrival. But that didn’t do enough to dispel confusion, and some travelers reported being refused boarding.
The rules were put into effect through the end of the month. They require all non-Thai passport holders 18 and up all provide proof of “full vaccination” or recovery from COVID-19 within the previous six months. Unvaccinated travelers must have a doctor’s letter explaining why.
Anyone traveling from a country that will prevent them from returning if they fall ill must have health coverage of at least US$10,000 that covers the duration of their stay plus an additional seven days.
Thai passport holders and transiting passengers are exempt.
The regulations, in effect until Jan. 31, came as officials were trying to assuage concerns about the expected influx of tourists from China, where the virus has been running rampant since strict lockdown restrictions were lifted.
While Thailand has stopped publicizing the disease’s spread, the WHO reports that though cases continue to dwindle, they remain relatively high in metropolitan Bangkok.
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