Thai News

From May 1st, Thailand will allow vaccinated visitors to enter the country by air without any covid testing or quarantine requirements.

The authorities are encouraging visitors to do their own rapid test and report the result but that would be stupid as foreigners testing positive are then likely to banged up in very expensive private hospitals for a quarantine period now reduced to 5 days.

Visitors will still be required to upload certificates of vaccination and certificates of $10,000 worth of covid insurance prior to travel via the Thai Pass scheme.

Note that non-vaccinated vistors will still be required to go into quarantine on arrival.

And in other good news, the Thai authorities will now allow bars (still having to masquerade as restaurants) to open until midnight.

Update: Bordering on confusing

25th April 2022. See article from aseannow.com

Note that Thailand is not so welcoming to visitors at a land border.

Vaccinated visitors who want to enter Thailand for more than 3 days must still take an antigen test. As usual it is not clearly stated what dire consequences would befall a person who tests positive.

Thailand's Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has approved the lifting of the pre-travel testing requirement for international arrivals beginning 1 April, 2022.

Visitors using the TEST & GO, Sandbox, and Alternative Quarantine (AQ) schmes will be allowed to enter Thailand without the need to show proof of a negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours of travel.

Sandbox staying period reduced

Reduced to 5 days from currently 7 days. After completing five days within the Sandbox destinations, travellers will be allowed to travel domestically within Thailand.

AQ quarantine period reduced

Quarantine reduced to 5 days and an RT-PCR test on Day 4-5.

From the 1st of March, the requirement for the 2nd pre-paid PCR test on Day 5 after your arrival in Thailand will be dropped. But it will instead be replaced with a rapid antigen test you can take yourself.

In addition, the required Covid insurance will be reduced from $50,000 to $20,000.

Quarantine hotel reservations will only be required for the 1st day as travellers wait for the results of their PCR test. If that test is failed, then depending on circumstances, a visitor may be whisked off to very expensive private hospital.

Bangkok is not actually called Bangkok. The actual name of the city is Krung Thep, (albeit a shortened version of a much longer official name). Thais only use the word Bangkok when addressing foreigners who mostly don't understand the name they use.

Now Thailand is looking to encourage the world to use the Thai name for the city. There is a proposal to the government to adopt a slighter longer form of the Thai name, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (meaning Great City of Angels).

Ministers are expected to rubber stamp the request from the Royal Academy according to reports from the newspaper Thai Rath.

The academy felt that Krung Thep Maha Nakhon would be more modern and in line with real usage.

The full name of Bangkok, that starts with Krung Thep Maha Nakhon goes on to have about 145-150 letters in English script and is widely recognised as the longest placename in the world. Here is one version:

Krungthepmahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathatiya Witsanukam Prasit.