The dire situation of 7,000 Ukrainian and – to a lesser extent Russian – visitors trapped in Thailand is being formally discussed by the Bangkok authorities.

Phuket opened a call centre on Wednesday to help tourists from Ukraine and Russia unable to return home because of flight cancellations and economic sanctions imposed over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

More than 7,000 tourists from Russia and Ukraine in Thailand are allowed to extend their visas without an application fee as the government is considering measures to offer humanitarian assistance to those affected by international flight cancellations.

The Public Health Ministry reckons the Covid-19 situation will improve enough to be considered an endemic disease by early July, the government spokesman said on Sunday.

Despite Russia banning Facebook in the country just 2 days ago, the Russian Consulate in Phuket has posted on its own Facebook page yesterday to announce that Russian citizens in Phuket can stay at least month longer than the original date on their visa.

Operators of night entertainment venues in Pattaya that have reclassified themselves as restaurants in a bid to remain in operation during the pandemic have urged the government to extend periods of dine-in service with alcoholic beverages beyond 11pm.

Several hundred delegates to a Thailand Tourism Forum assembly have urged the government to abolish the Test and Go entry requirements or risk a collapse in the international tourist market.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is pleased to join all relevant Thai public and private agencies to welcome Saudia’s inaugural flight on the Jeddah-Riyadh-Bangkok route

Escalation of the crisis involving Russia and Ukraine could affect Thailand, not only in terms of trade but tourism, as many of its visitors are from Russia

Outbound flights from Thailand follow the International Civil Aviation Organization’s recommendations to avoid the conflict zone by flying south of Ukraine, over the airspace of Iran and Turkey.

Foreign tourists will no longer have to book a second RT-PCR test and hotel room on the fifth day of their stay in Thailand, according to a government announcement on Monday. Meanwhile, mandatory health coverage for foreign visitors has been reduced from US$50,000 to $20,000 (Bt648,000).

Visa extension options for Ukrainians still in Thailand are narrowing whilst flights to Ukraine are jeopardized by the shelling of Kyiv’s main airport.

Future lockdowns not being considered

Officials in Rayong have issued a warning indicating that local beaches affected by two oil disasters are still unsafe, citing recent tests that show concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons still exceed safety standards.

Second RT-PCR test replaced by ATK