Coming to Thailand will mean not just enduring two weeks of quarantine-lite, but also purchasing insurance in case you die of the coronavirus and need a funeral in the Land of Smiles.
As piecemeal plans take shape to reopen the kingdom to much-needed tourism, a government insurance agency has announced that all arriving travelers will need to buy COVID-19 insurance to cover the entire time they are in the country.
Travelers must be insured up to THB3.2 million (US$102,000) to cover medical treatment as well as funeral expenses and transporting their remains home, according to Suthipol Taweechaikarn of the state Insurance Commission. Thailand will sell the insurance packages online.
Those packages will range from under 30 days up to a year and range in price depending on where they are coming from. He said travelers from low-risk countries should expect to pay anything from THB1,600 to THB43,200 depending on where they reside.
Coverage will be sold online, primarily through 16 domestic insurance companies including Pacific Cross, The Viriyah and Muang Thai Life.
Thailand plans to open its border to long-stay tourists starting in October, just in time for the high season when Europeans seek escape from their icy continent. The plans thus far include routing all travelers through Phuket island, where they will have to stay close to their hotels for two weeks before being allowed to travel elsewhere in the country. Although some international airlines have raised eyebrows by advertising resumed flights to Bangkok – looking at you, Emirates – they remain limited to an approved list of 11 types of travelers such as visa holders, government guests and short-term business visits. Tourists are not included.
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