PM will consider waiving the mandatory 14-day quarantine for tourists with Covid-19 vaccination proof

Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Thai PM, says the government will consider waiving the mandatory 14-day quarantine for tourists with Covid-19 vaccination proof. The government has stuck to its stance for months now that vaccinated foreign arrivals would still need to be quarantined, given that it is too early to say if vaccines prevent transmission. But with industry leaders warning that the economy is on the brink of collapse, the only hope seems to be that the tourism industry, a major economic contributor before Covid-19, will be revived. 

The central bank says the uncertainty facing the tourism sector is a major threat to medium-term economic growth, according to a Bloomberg News report. Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput says recovering to pre-pandemic levels without the return of international tourism would be very difficult for the economy. 

The PM's announcement has been welcomed by Nattaporn Triratanasirikul of the Kasikorn Research Centre. 

If this goes ahead as planned, it will offer tourism and the economy a big boost. There is still a very high degree of uncertainty about the economic outlook this year, pending all the issues surrounding the outbreak of local infections, the rollout of vaccines, and the reopening of a border plan.

Tourism officials have been pushing for Thailand to introduce a passport vaccination policy that would allow visitors to return from countries where mass vaccination programs are ongoing. 

Meanwhile, with the arrival of both the Chinese Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines, Thailand is getting the first doses of Covid-19 jabs today. It is expected that the national inoculation program will start next week, with frontline medical workers and other vulnerable groups first in line.

Siam Bioscience will also manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine locally, with production expected to begin in June. The government says other manufacturers' vaccines may also be registered in the Kingdom for use, with private hospitals allowed to administer them. Several other manufacturers have expressed interest in having their vaccines approved for use in the Kingdom, per the PM. 

Many companies have shown interest in registering, but their documents are not yet completed. It's good that we're going to have more vaccines than the government's 65 million doses planned now.