BANGKOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th March, 2021) Thailand will shorten the mandatory quarantine for foreign citizens who are vaccinated against COVID-19 down to seven days starting April, the country's health ministry said on Monday.
Earlier in the day, the country's committee on communicable diseases held a meeting chaired by Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Citing the fact that there are over 250 million vaccine doses administered across the globe and the vaccination continues, the meeting thought it right to decrease the duration of the quarantine upon arrival to Thailand for several categories of people. The new measure will enter force sometime in April.
"For foreign citizens with a certificate of vaccination that took place no later than 14 days and no earlier than three months before arriving in Thailand ... to decrease the duration of the quarantine from 14 to 7 days," the ministry said in a statement, mentioning that those vaccinated will still require a negative COVID-19 test done within three days before the arrival, as well as the one done upon entering the country.
For those without a vaccination certificate but with a negative COVID-19 test the quarantine will be decreased to ten days.
The meeting also recommitted relevant authorities to consider lifting quarantine for people entering areas of the country where 70 percent of medics, volunteers, tourism workers and groups at risk are vaccinated, starting October 1.
The meeting's decision now has to be approved by a weekly meeting of the government coronavirus response center as well as the cabinet of ministers.
