Thailand plans to start the festive season with reopening for tourists by mid-October. The entire world has faced economic devastation, and Thailand’s government resorts to the tourism sector to shield the economy. The Prime Minister announced the new move to restructure the financial turbulence faced in the pandemic.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha declared that tourists who are fully vaccinated and returning citizens could enter the country without any restrictions without worrying about the quarantine also. The change will occur within 120 days as the government plans it to be. Since the battered economy needs to be rebuilt by all the countries, the attempt to reopen for foreign visitors will have consequences which the PM has acknowledged. He addressed the issue as a calculated risk as this might spur the infection rate again, yet due to the poor economic condition, the country is ready to reopen. The government will only reconsider if there will be any outrageous situation. The country earlier planned the reopening at the beginning of 2022.Â
Since April, the country is facing a high infection rate with nearly 210,782 confirmed cases and more than 1,577 deaths. The surge in the cases is a result of delayed vaccine supply and administration. The vaccine supply in Thailand has only been Sinovac from China and AstraZeneca, a local licensed production. The vaccine penetration has been shallow, with 7% of the 69 million population has only received the first dose of the vaccine. The Prime minister is criticized due to the lack of administration and slow supply of the vaccine. He confirmed that the government is working on bringing the necessary aid to the public by obtaining different vaccines like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna.
The government informed that they had reserved 105.5 million doses of supply contracts, and the public will receive vaccines by this year. The deed will put the country ahead in reaching the vaccine supplies. The government currently plans to administer nearly 10 million shots every month starting from July; this way, at least 50 million people will receive the first vaccine dose by October. The vaccination will offer enough strength to the country to battle the infection after the reopening.
