Test & Go is back on, and vaccinated travellers will be able to register for (almost) quarantine-free entry to Thailand starting February 1. There have been slight revisions to the rules, now requiring travellers to have proof of their hotel booking on the first and fifth day of their stay in Thailand when they undergo RT-PCR tests.

At its general meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration agreed to reopen registration for the entry scheme. The measure needs to be published in the Royal Gazette to be made official.

Entry under Test & Go is open to travellers from all countries. Those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 must apply for a Thailand Pass QR code to enter the country. Travellers are required to take an RT-PCR test on arrival and stay at an approved hotel for up to a night while they wait for their test results to come back.

Travellers will now need to book a stay at an approved hotel on their fifth day in Thailand for their second RT-PCR test. A spokesperson says travellers do not need to stay at the same hotel, adding that they can travel throughout Thailand in between their tests.

Requirements for Test & Go…

• Proof of hotel booking for Day 1 and Day 5 in Thailand
• Confirmed payment for a SHA+ approved hotel
• Pre-payment for the two RT-PCR tests
• Certificate of vaccination or vaccine passport
• Proof of a negative result from an RT-PCR test issued no more than 72 hours before departure
• Thailand Pass QR code (Click HERE for the official website run by the Department of Consular Affairs. The Thailand Pass is free. Watch out for other sites seeking payment.)

Registration for the travel scheme had been closed last month following the first local transmission of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. Infections spiked after the New Year holiday, leading officials to temporarily tighten measures. A spokesperson at the CCSA’s press briefing says the decisions to loosen measures and reopen Test & Go were under careful consideration, adding that the Covid-related fatality rate has been on a decline.

“Infections have increased, but are going so at a manageable rate and is now stabilising with trends suggesting a decrease very soon. The number of patients with severe Covid-19 infections is also stabilising and the rate of fatalities as … relative to the Delta variant, quite low.”

The CCSA also decided to more destinations to the Sandbox entry programme, which allows vaccinated travellers to enter specified areas and roam freely for a week instead of undergoing a quarantine period at a hotel or facility. Trat’s Koh Chang was approved as well as Chon Buri’s Pattaya, Koh Sichang, Na Chom Tian and Bang Sare.

Those who are unvaccinated must enter under the Alternative Quarantine programme, which requires travellers to isolate at an approved hotel or resort for 10 days and undergo Covid-19 tests before they can be released.

 

 

The Thaiger