Thailand previously announced that they would be reinstating their Covid rules on international travellers, requiring them to show proof of Covid vaccinations or recovery.
Minister of Health Anutin Charnvirakul then announced yesterday that they will be rescinding the decision, effectively making a u-turn on their decision.
He said that proof of vaccination was not necessary because there was enough immunisation globally, and that it was no longer necessary.
Travellers who are not vaccinated would still be granted entry into Thailand without restrictions.
However, travellers visiting from Thailand to another country that required a negative pre-entry Covid test will need to show that they have health insurance to cover treatment if they get infected.
Backlash over the initial decision to reinstate covid rules
This comes in the wake of the initial decision upsetting many tour operators, with the Phuket Tourist Association saying that it would affect the ongoing attempts to restore Thailand’s tourism industry.
They then sent a letter to Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayut, appealing for him to fix the problem.
Tour companies from the UK also complained about the abrupt (initial) decision, saying that they were given no warnings before it was announced.
This would result in their customers being denied boarding after already travelling to the airports without their vaccination certificates – and the companies would have to reimburse them and bear the costs.
More than 1,000 accommodation reservations had purportedly been cancelled because about 20% of the population was not vaccinated.
The Thai minister for Sports and Tourism, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn then stepped in and asked the Minister of health to change the rule for foreign visitors.