SUVARNABHUMI Airport was bustling with tourists today (May 1) the first day of the cancellation of the Test & Go system with foreign tourists continuously entering the country but there was no congestion at any point with most passengers satisfied with the convenience offered, Matichon newspaper said.
On hand to inspect the major change were Mr. Chayatan Phromsorn, Transport Ministry’s permanent secretary, Mr.Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, president of Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT), Mr. Kirati Kitmanawat, deputy CEO of AOT and Mr. Kittipong Kittikachorn, director of Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Chayatan said Suvarnabhumi Airport is ready to welcome foreign passengers and can quickly handle arrivals even during peak hours. It is taking only 30 seconds to check the documents of each person with it taking less than 20 minutes for 322 passengers to go through the 15 service points.
He is confident that this relaxation will increase the number of foreign tourists coming to Thailand and arrivals at this airport will return to around 100,000 a day by 2024, or or 36.5 million per year, a figure similar to the pre-Covid-19 days, with this projection being based on a forecast by International Air Transport Association (IATA).
AOT is not worried about unvaccinated foreign passengers arriving here as only a small number have done so. According to the latest information only 11 out 17,000 arrivals were unvaccinated. AOT has also closely coordinated with the Public Health Ministry and various hotels to prepare and facilitate tourists.
The following immigration steps are in now in place with the cancellation of Test & Go and the use of only antigen test:
1) Visitors must register through the Thailand Pass system before entering the country. Those vaccinated have to provide evidence of completing the jabs and obtaining insurance cover. Those not vaccinated or have not completed the jabs must provide proof of booking alternate quarantine accomodation and insurance.
2) All visitors must have a minimum insurance cover of $10,000 for Covid treatment.
3) Those fully vaccinated no longer have to undergo a test upon arrival but are recommended to check for infection via ATK on their own and if they get a positive result go in for treatment.
4) Those not vaccinated or do not meet the specified criteria have to show a RT-PCR test result in the Thailand Pass system before departure. They need not be quarantined or quarantined under the alternate quarantine system entailing another RT-PCR test on the fourth or fifth day but are advised to check by ATK on their own and if infected undergo treatment.
5) Regarding high-risk individuals, it is recommended that they self-quarantine for five days and observe their symptoms for another five days. They should administer an ATK test on the fifth and tenth day of contact with an infected person.
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Top: Suvarnabhumi Airport today. Photo: Matichon
Home Page: A view of Suvarnabhumi Airport from a bus. Photo: David McKelvey (CC BY 2.0)
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