News Forum - Time to say goodbye to Test & Go and the Thailand Pass?

[Thaiger]

The government will propose removing the Test & Go scheme and Thailand Pass at a meeting with the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on April 22. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is again requesting the cancellation with the tourism ministry, according to Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. The goal is to attract more travellers and boost Thailand interrupted tourism industry. If the changes and revisions are approved, the changes could start as early as May 1,  allowing travellers to enter Thailand using their vaccine documents rather than waiting 1 to 5 days for the Thailand Pass to be approved. […]

The story Time to say goodbye to Test & Go and the Thailand Pass? as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Ramanathan.P]

Many tourists have already said "Good Bye" to this season to Thailand. If the authorities keep repackaging the same dish with different package and flavours, it is not going to be "Good Bye" anymore. It will be a "Good Luck" to the tourism industry in 2022 season.

[Lawyers_Guns_and_Money]

35 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

The government will propose removing the Test & Go scheme and Thailand Pass at a meeting with the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on April 22. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is again requesting the cancellation with the tourism ministry, according to Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. The goal is to attract more travellers and boost Thailand interrupted tourism industry. If the changes and revisions are approved, the changes could start as early as May 1,  allowing travellers to enter Thailand using their vaccine documents rather than waiting 1 to 5 days for the Thailand Pass to be approved. […]

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No chance that they give up the mandatory insurance scheme and subsequent verification using the Thailand Pass. This proposal doesn't change anything. And in the meantime, thousands of Thais are packing onto planes, trains and automobiles with no restrictions. 

Coming up on good weather months in the West and then the holidays. As each week goes by, fewer and fewer tourists will have the time available to take a marginal trip to Thailand. 

[yasar]

 

If the government adopts this practice, the number of tourists coming to the country will triple.

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

4 minutes ago, yasar said:

If the government adopts this practice, the number of tourists coming to the country will triple.

3 x 0 = 0 

[DwizzleyMatthews]

1 hour ago, Thaiger said:

If the changes and revisions are approved, the changes could start as early as May 1,  allowing travellers to enter Thailand using their vaccine documents rather than waiting 1 to 5 days for the Thailand Pass to be approved.

Wonder if this means the 1st and 2nd vaccinations only or are boosters also required if over 6 months since the original 2 ??

[mjwalker]

please let this happen to make entry easier !!

[NorskTiger]

Am I right to read it as from 1st of July:  NO vaccine requirements; NO PCR tests; NO mandatory quarantines of any kind and NO cpvid tets while in Thailand unless required by specific places you select to visit?

     

[wefrazzini]

Thai Pass should be eliminated immediately. There's no reason to keep it up as a hurdle for entry. Require whatever the documentation proof are, on arrival for, vaccines, lodging, subsequent testing, insurance, etc. And let people choose to comply or face immigration at the Port. 

[Guevara]

1 hour ago, yasar said:

If the government adopts this practice, the number of tourists coming to the country will triple.

I'm not sure about triple, more like a trickle. The high season is over for months. The Government have dragged their heels for far too long.

[Politenessman]

Changing the entry test from PCR to ATK is not addressing the problem most tourists have, the problem isn't one night in an overpriced hotel, the problem is you might get to spend the next 9 nights in that hotel.

Why would you book a holiday that comes with a built in credible threat of imprisonment?

Then you have the day 5 test, odds are you caught covid from the Thai population, but into detention you go?

The Govt just doesn't seem to understand what the actual issue is - maybe they need to ask the small number of inbound tourists they have what their biggest concern is? do that for a week and you'll have a pretty fair picture.

[Cg66]

1 hour ago, DwizzleyMatthews said:

Wonder if this means the 1st and 2nd vaccinations only or are boosters also required if over 6 months since the original 2 ??

It’s about time the populations stopped pussyfooting around, trying to jump through hoops put before them and started thinking for themselves. Rather than when they say jump asking how high, they should be askingWhy? The fake vaccines, what are they on? The fourth or fifth now? Should not  be in issue. Information from Israeli Scientists say they are of limited use and for only eight weeks against the omicron variant. Why should there be discrimination against vaccinated and unvaccinated when the majority are past their sell by date? it’s comical how a lot of countries are now altering the expiry date of their existing fake vaccines. I have a memory and it tells me that originally it was supposed to be important to follow the expiry date, and your second dose Had to be the same product. My questioning mind wonders why it became a nonissue  what potions you mixed up and put in your body, and why the expiry date is now unimportant. 

 

 

 

 

[JohnC]

I had to fly into Germany yesterday from the UK and didn't have to show anything apart from my passport,  just like in the good old days of pre covid. 

Thailand really needs to get to this stage within the next six months at the least in order for tourists to plan trips for the next high season. 

It shouldn't be that difficult if they really want that to happen. 

Ps just remembered I had to show proof of a return flight due to not being in the EU any more but not my covid certificate at all

Edited April 14, 2022 by JohnC

[Guevara]

2 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I had to fly into Germany yesterday from the UK and didn't have to show anything apart from my passport,  just like in the good old days of pre covid. 

Thailand really needs to get to this stage within the next six months at the least in order for tourists to plan trips for the next high season. 

It shouldn't be that difficult if they really want that to happen. 

Personally I'd be looking at weeks not 6 months.

[Janneman]

Well, with 10k visitors every day, and each paying a few 100 dollar for an insurance that wont pay out when needed I can think of a reason why they wont change things. 10k times a few 100 makes a few million every day.

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, Janneman said:

Well, with 10k visitors every day, and each paying a few 100 dollar for an insurance that wont pay out when needed I can think of a reason why they wont change things. 10k times a few 100 makes a few million every day.

I'm no economist but surely if they scrapped the insurance and then ten times more people come there would be more money to go around?

They could always have a requirement for personal travel insurance which I'd assume most people travelling to Thailand would have anyway. 

[Mazz11]

[Mazz11]

46 minutes ago, Politenessman said:

Changing the entry test from PCR to ATK is not addressing the problem most tourists have, the problem isn't one night in an overpriced hotel, the problem is you might get to spend the next 9 nights in that hotel.

Why would you book a holiday that comes with a built in credible threat of imprisonment?

Then you have the day 5 test, odds are you caught covid from the Thai population, but into detention you go?

The Govt just doesn't seem to understand what the actual issue is - maybe they need to ask the small number of inbound tourists they have what their biggest concern is? do that for a week and you'll have a pretty fair picture.

Agree with you 100%

[Soidog]

55 minutes ago, Cg66 said:

My questioning mind wonders why it became a nonissue  what potions you mixed up and put in your body, and why the expiry date is now unimportant.

It’s not and it’s not! 
 

Yes, there has been some easing of expiry dates when governments have excess stock which is about to expire and they have given the vaccines away to poorer countries. But no one is saying it’s unimportant. Surely a vaccine which is a week beyond the recommended use date is better to use than no vaccine. As you claim the vaccines are fake then I guess you wouldn’t agree. 

[Fanta]

24 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm no economist but surely if they scrapped the insurance and then ten times more people come there would be more money to go around?

They could always have a requirement for personal travel insurance which I'd assume most people travelling to Thailand would have anyway. 

A poster here did some basic maths based on the current tourism numbers and the inflated Covid costs incurred by those infected. Solution -  charge every incoming tourist a 100baht Covid surcharge and that would easily cover the cost of providing medical services to infected tourists with money left over. Simple and effective. 

[Janneman]

30 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm no economist but surely if they scrapped the insurance and then ten times more people come there would be more money to go around?

They could always have a requirement for personal travel insurance which I'd assume most people travelling to Thailand would have anyway. 

Correct. But the premiums from the insurances ends up in other pockets than the money spent by tourists.

[BIGGLES]

I've been posting on here, many times, with the view that entry requirements will slowly change after Songkran. 

Songkran roughly  coincides with the end of high season in the pre covid days.

The government have said, they'll review the situation after the current Songkran when they know what the numbers look like. They must be able to save face.

I believe they will hold off opening restrictions because,  there will be an incincrease in numbers, but these numbers will fall quickly.

Therefore, they will I believe, use this fall in numbers,  and the fact that we will be in low season, to gradually lift restrictions with limited risk. 

As they ease off restrictions, at each stage they will look as though they are knowing what they are doing and therby they will save face. They will continue to evaluate the situation further, with a goal of all restrictions lifted, in time for high season 2022/23. Face fully saved.

[Fanta]

imo,  If the target of a 0.1% mortality rate of infections is achieved, by means foul or fair, then Covid will be declared endemic and the restrictions will disappear. If later Covid causes havoc it is the medical profession’s fault because the govt was following “their” advice - gotta save that face in advance.

[Soidog]

19 minutes ago, BIGGLES said:

I've been posting on here, many times, with the view that entry requirements will slowly change after Songkran. 

Songkran roughly  coincides with the end of high season in the pre covid days.

The government have said, they'll review the situation after the current Songkran when they know what the numbers look like. They must be able to save face.

I believe they will hold off opening restrictions because,  there will be an incincrease in numbers, but these numbers will fall quickly.

Therefore, they will I believe, use this fall in numbers,  and the fact that we will be in low season, to gradually lift restrictions with limited risk. 

As they ease off restrictions, at each stage they will look as though they are knowing what they are doing and therby they will save face. They will continue to evaluate the situation further, with a goal of all restrictions lifted, in time for high season 2022/23. Face fully saved.

I think that’s not far off the mark. Face fully saved, but livelihoods destroyed.

[Cg66]

3 hours ago, Soidog said:

It’s not and it’s not! 
 

Yes, there has been some easing of expiry dates when governments have excess stock which is about to expire and they have given the vaccines away to poorer countries. But no one is saying it’s unimportant. Surely a vaccine which is a week beyond the recommended use date is better to use than no vaccine. As you claim the vaccines are fake then I guess you wouldn’t agree. 

And 3 months extension? My functioning memory recalls how storage and expiry dates were initially sold to us as so crucial. Remember how millions of unused doses were previously dumped? Expensive mistake if extension isn’t a problem!