Thai News

Thai people will always be given priority for Covid-19 vaccines, the Ministry of Public Health said yesterday, denying reports that some expats living in the kingdom would also be allowed to register for free jabs.

The ministry said while the government wanted take care of everyone living here, it had no plans to give free vaccines to expats due to very limited vaccine stocks, so Thai people would be the first to get it.

The vaccines right now are only reserved for Thai people who are now at a high-risk level or living in the severe outbreak areas, said spokesman Rungrueng Kitphati.

On Monday, some expats announced on social media that they had successfully registered to get the vaccine via the Mor Prom Line application. However this does not mean that they would not get turned away at the appointment.

On Thursday the government changed stance a little and said that farangs could register for appointments under the same criteria as Thais. It was also said that the Moderna vaccine would be available privately at a price of 3000 Baht.

After a bit of a covod outbreak in Thailand the government has announced a return to a full 14 day of hotel quarantine regardless of nationality or vaccination status.

For the moment the full 14 days will have to be spent in a hotel room and the extended period also requires the expense of a another test.

The longer quarantine period applies to all visitors from 1st May 2021.

Thailand has announced a plan that all car sales should be electric by 2035.

Inevitably Thailand sees itself as being a 'hub' for the electric car market.

Right now in Thailand, less than 1% of the vehicles on the road are electric but an advisor to the Energy Ministry's national policy committee said that it's clear the world is heading that way and Thailand should grab hold of that market to help recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The plan to make Thailand an electric vehicle country by 2035 has benchmarks along the way. A previous target of 30% of all vehicles registered to be electric vehicles has been upgraded to 50% by the end of this decade.

The Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand pointed out that letting the transition occur naturally with the growing popularity of electric vehicles may take too long, and that the new target such is a good way to attract investors in these new technologies and manufacturing sectors.

To facilitate the process for travellers entering Thailand, tourism officials have launched a website as a one-stop-shop to make arrangements to travel to Thailand including booking a quarantine hotel, purchasing insurance and obtaining permission to enter Thailand.

The "Entry Thailand" website set up by the Tourism Authority of Thailand outlines 6 steps for international visitors planning to travel to Thailand including registering for a Certificate of Entry, booking a flight, arranging quarantine, purchasing the required Covid-19 insurance, checking on the status of the Certificate of Entry and requirements upon entering the country.

The quarantine period is 7 days for fully vaccinated visitors, 10 days for visitors from most countries but 14 days from African countries.

Steps for entering Thailand:

Step 1: Register for the Certificate of Entry, or COE. Pre-approval can take around 3 days.

Step 2: Book a flight on a repatriation flight or semi-commercial flight. Tickets must be purchased no more than 15 days after the COE is pre-approved.

Step 3: Arrange a stay at an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) hotel and submit the booking confirmation no more than 15 days after the COE is pre-approved.

Step 4: Purchase Covid-19 health insurance policy no more than 15 days after the COE is pre-approved. Submit proof of purchase. If the insurance policy is booked through "Entry Thailand," the system will automatically report the booking status.

Step 5: Check the COE status and prepare additional documents before travelling.

Step 6: Prepare documents required upon entering Thailand. Download the "Thailand Plus Application" and complete the Thailand Health Declaration, or T.8 Form.

Thailand's Health Ministry says it may prosecute a number of Covid-19 patients who refused to be treated at field hospitals. It's understood the 74 patients, most of whom are from so-called hi so families in Bangkok, told officials that a stay in a field hospital would be inconvenient. Instead, deputy public health minister Sathit Pitutecha says the patients decided to stay at home, thereby violating the communicable disease law.

Every Covid-19 patient must be taken care of by medical personnel from the Ministry of Public Health at a ministry medical facility.

Sathit says the patients told officials they would only stay in private rooms in hospitals. He adds that it is vital that all infected people are hospitalised, as severe symptoms can develop at any time and patients need to be monitored by qualified medical workers.

All people who test positive for coranavirus are expected to be quarantined in medical facilities regardless severity of illness and even if symptomless.