News Forum - Thailand’s Health Ministry to propose scrapping pre-departure PCR for Test & Go

[Thaiger]

Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is set to make a proposal to scrap the pre-departure PCR for Test & Go travellers, making entering the country more convenient and cost-efficient. The proposal will need to be approved by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, which will have its general meeting this Friday and is expected to discuss a number of topics, including possibly lifting the mask mandate. Officials are set to discuss the predeparture RT-PCR Covid-19 test, which is currently required 72 hours before travel to Thailand, according to Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, Kiattiphum Wongjit. Thai media adds that […]

The story Thailand’s Health Ministry to propose scrapping pre-departure PCR for Test & Go as seen on Thaiger News.

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[riclag]

  On 3/16/2022 at 11:16 AM, Thaiger said:

Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is set to make a proposal to scrap the pre-departure PCR for Test & Go travellers, making entering the country more convenient and cost-efficient. The proposal will need to be approved by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, which will have its general meeting this Friday and is expected to discuss a number of topics, including possibly lifting the mask mandate. Officials are set to discuss the predeparture RT-PCR Covid-19 test, which is currently required 72 hours before travel to Thailand, according to Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, Kiattiphum Wongjit. Thai media adds that […]

The story Thailand’s Health Ministry to propose scrapping pre-departure PCR for Test & Go as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

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Sure no problem! This govt isn’t getting any revenue from that! Thats why!

All restrictions need to go!

[Prosaap]

If they want to make it more covenient cancel the arrival test and keep the pre departer test but then they lose the whole pcr buisnes where they offcouse get a cut from

[Artemis080]

Lipstick on a pig.

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

Better scrap all testing, pre-departure and after arrival. Covid widely spread anyway, what difference does the testing make at this point.

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

  On 3/16/2022 at 11:35 AM, Prosaap said:

If they want to make it more covenient cancel the arrival test and keep the pre departer test but then they lose the whole pcr buisnes where they offcouse get a cut from

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They're doing things backwards. Whatll be their next step, scrap the test on arrival, but keep the day 5 test? And the insurance tapering to 10k, what's next, 5k? Then 1k?

[Freeduhdumb]

  On 3/16/2022 at 11:28 AM, riclag said:

Sure no problem! This govt isn’t getting any revenue from that! Thats why!

All restrictions need to go!

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This makes no sense... if you were going to keep any testing, wouldn't you want that testing be before you bring people onto a plane and to your country? If you're going to scrap testing then all of it needs to be scrapped. 

[francoa]

Goodbye Thailand. It was nice 5 months, but the lack of nightlife, bars still closing at 11 and annoying test and go…well, I wont miss those.

Leaving for Vietnam, no entry restrictions and everything in the country is opened. 

[MrNovax]

Im happy to see steps in the right direction but how about scrapping the whole system and allowing life as normal (not new normal) to resume?   2 years in, either these restrictions worked and covid is defeated or they didnt work and they are pointless.  there is no third option.  

[Mongo]

At this point I think they're looking for a face saving way to wind it all down as the cats out of the bag so to speak.  Barring some new more serious variant, I think they undo all of this by May or June and we all get on with our lives.  Many Thais will continue to mask up and this is fine, Thai people have always done this for sickness or pollution.  If we're lucky life will get back to some degree of normal.

[MikeW]

  On 3/16/2022 at 12:02 PM, Freeduhdumb said:

This makes no sense... if you were going to keep any testing, wouldn't you want that testing be before you bring people onto a plane and to your country? If you're going to scrap testing then all of it needs to be scrapped. 

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But if they test positive after arriving then they can put the infected ones in a prison hospital and get lots of money 

[Brownie]

As cock-eyed as it can get! Short stay (10-15 days) tourists from neighbouring countries are waiting for the post arrival test to be scrapped.  We just started flights to Phuket and Bangkok from India yesterday, but I doubt anyone will visit, other than those who have a pressing need

[Grumpish]

Arse about face, as usual - how about scrapping the day 1 pcr test and quarantine instead? Travel insurance? No problem with that - but accept any policy, I have a perfectly good annual multi-trip policy which actually states that it provides covid cover, but that was not acceptable for the Thailand Pass. so I had to spend even more on a Thailand issued "approved" policy. And if they are going to keep the Thailand Pass, at least make it work properly - like accepting PDF's - and make it secure.

[Dmitrii]

  On 3/16/2022 at 12:06 PM, francoa said:

Goodbye Thailand. It was nice 5 months, but the lack of nightlife, bars still closing at 11 and annoying test and go…well, I wont miss those.

Leaving for Vietnam, no entry restrictions and everything in the country is opened. 

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Looks like Thailand is finally returning to normal life though.

But the process is really slow, I absolutely agree with it.

[JJJ]

  On 3/16/2022 at 12:02 PM, DoUKnowWhoIAm said:

They're doing things backwards. Whatll be their next step, scrap the test on arrival, but keep the day 5 test? And the insurance tapering to 10k, what's next, 5k? Then 1k?

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Exactly. Having it all means a complicated system to check it. How many visitors have had serious illness this entire time? And of those how many couldn’t pay? Fixing a problem that doesn’t exist at a high cost. 

[JJJ]

  On 3/16/2022 at 12:08 PM, MrNovax said:

Im happy to see steps in the right direction but how about scrapping the whole system and allowing life as normal (not new normal) to resume?   2 years in, either these restrictions worked and covid is defeated or they didnt work and they are pointless.  there is no third option.  

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It is obvious that ThaiPass had such a de minimus impact on total cases. Yet it came at a huge cost to tourism. Other tourists markets have been booming! The only difference is the degree of restrictions on arrival and once in the country. 

At this point, westerners generally won’t want to take an expensive vacation to a location with more stupid covid restrictions than their homes. Everyone knows the outdoor mask restriction is absolutely pointless. 

[ace035]

Should be the other way around, scrap the Day 1 PCR testing but keep the Pre-Departure test as for reopening the nightlife, wait till after Songkran, it will be better between May 1st-15th.

[BBY]

AsI have said earlier today on another headline. Nothing is going to fix with your tourist industry until all restrictions such as test and go etc are terminated.

Wake up and smell the coffee TAT. 

People are like electricity. They will choose the easiest route. Just like when you go to the mall. The top floor or two of the car park are the empty ones.

UK now, vaccinated or not, makes no difference. No restrictions , no tests required. Unless something changes the virus is now considered to be no different to Flu.

Its also worth bearing in mind, that all those investors you want and are in need of, are all watching how you are handling the economic recovery and quite frankly, compared to other countries. Well, your not are you.

The longer you keep these ridiculous and now unnecessary entry restrictions in place, the deeper the recession will get and the harder/longer it will take to recover. 

[Lawyers_Guns_and_Money]

They have already invested so much in the Test and Go arrival process, that they don't want to give up the bureaucracy they have created. All the signage, the people involved, the image that they are doing something. 

This makes no difference in my point of view since you still risk quarantine on arrival for a positive result, And in my case, I would still have to get another PCR test prior to returning to the US, again risking quarantine. All being paid to Thailand.  

[Marc26]

  On 3/16/2022 at 3:24 PM, Lawyers_Guns_and_Money said:

They have already invested so much in the Test and Go arrival process, that they don't want to give up the bureaucracy they have created. All the signage, the people involved, the image that they are doing something. 

This makes no difference in my point of view since you still risk quarantine on arrival for a positive result, And in my case, I would still have to get another PCR test prior to returning to the US, again risking quarantine. All being paid to Thailand.  

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You only need an Antigen test to return to the US

[Janneman]

They can keep one PCR test for all I care, preferably pre-departure since some transit countries are demanding that. But drop the silly insurance, drop the threat of being incarcerated at your own cost if you happen to test positive, like for your return flight. And drop the forced wearing of facemasks out on the street. Only way to stop tourists to go to a choice of other countries and not to Thailand.

[Lawyers_Guns_and_Money]

  On 3/16/2022 at 3:54 PM, Marc26 said:

You only need an Antigen test to return to the US

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Thank you for the clarification. I had not heard that they changed the test type requirement. I looked at CDC site and confirmed. 

[Janneman]

  On 3/16/2022 at 3:54 PM, Marc26 said:

You only need an Antigen test to return to the US

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Antigen test can give a positive result too of course. Which leads to incarceration at your own cost, changing flights, visa troubles and so on.

[Bernhard]

It would be a not a bad step because of two reasons: First, the necessary "RT" in the test-paper makes it difficult to get, because most PCR-tests don't offer the explicit mentioning of "RT". Second: no tourist or expat wants to be infected, when having the PCR-Test on arrival in Thailand. So, I would go into self quarantine before start traveling. But the need of having a test before flight means, that you have to visit a place 72 hours before flight, where extraordinary many people are infected: the test center.

But maybe the better step would be, only PCR-test before flight (but without "RT") or simply ATK and no PCR-test after - it would reduce the risk of travelers, to have to pay for isolation in hospital or hotel. However, the current process of planning a travel is very difficult and many people will avoid it.

And what's about insurance? How dangerous is Covid for tourists, who are boostered, how much do they cost the Thai Health System? It all causes so many trouble when applying for EVisa and Test&Go. If people have no special reason to come to Thailand, they consider other countries.

[Marc26]

  On 3/16/2022 at 4:04 PM, Lawyers_Guns_and_Money said:

Thank you for the clarification. I had not heard that they changed the test type requirement. I looked at CDC site and confirmed. 

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It's been antigen for well over a year, but now you know and at a lesser cost

But Canada is scrapping pre-arrival testing as/of April 1st, so maybe US will as well