Thailand’s government has performed a hasty U-turn on new rules, announced at the weekend, requiring foreign arrivals to provide proof of vaccination against Covid-19.
The rules had been due to take effect on Monday (9 January) in anticipation of a surge in arrivals from China, which reopened its borders for the first time since March 2020 on Sunday (8 January).
Reuters, though, reports the new requirements – announced on Saturday (7 January) by Thailand’s aviation authorities – have been shelved.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said it wished to clarify Thailand "continues to welcome all international tourists under the fully-reopen-to-tourism policy introduced on 1 October 2022".
TAT cites Thailand’s deputy prime minister and minister of public health, Anutin Charnvirakul, as saying: "International travellers arriving in Thailand are not required to show proof of vaccination."
In addition, foreign tourists are not required to provide evidence of a negative pre-departure test for Covid-19.
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