Thailand eases Covid-19 entry requirements and mask policy

A tuk-tuk driver, wearing a face mask amid concerns about the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, waits for tourists in front of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Thailand announced on Friday (June 17, 2022) it would drop rules requiring people to wear masks outdoors and no longer require foreign visitors to register before travel, as Covid-19 cases fall and the kingdom seeks to lure tourists back. - AFP

Bangkok, June 17 (dpa): From July 1, tourists travelling to Thailand will only need to show a vaccination certificate or a negative Covid-19 test, the government announced on Friday, along with a decision to lift the requirement to wear a face mask in public spaces.

Travellers to Thailand have so far been obligated to pre-register online for a health pass and take out insurance to cover the cost of a possible infection and quarantine. Those rules will be scrapped.

The number of Covid-19 cases in the country has been sinking steadily in the past weeks. On Friday, health authorities reported around 1,900 new cases and 19 deaths in their Covid-19 update.

Therefore, the government also decided that bars and other entertainment venues will no longer have to close at midnight, but will be allowed to remain open until 2 am from July.

Face masks are also no longer required to be worn in public.

The country is hoping that the lifting of the restrictions will tempt more tourists.

Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said that Thailand is hoping to have welcomed at least 7.5 million holidaymakers by the end of the year.

The tourism industry is of huge economic importance for the country. In 2019, the year before the pandemic rocked the travel industry, 40 million people travelled to Thailand to see its beaches, temples and jungles. - dpa