Bangkok, Thailand will ease some entry requirements for foreign visitors as it balances a rising number of coronavirus cases with the need to rebuild its pandemic-damaged economy, the government announced today.

Beginning on 1 March 2022, fully vaccinated visitors must take a RT-PCR test on arrival and spend their first night at an approved hotel while awaiting the results, but will no longer need to take a second RT-PCR test and spend another night at a hotel on their fifth day, the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration said.

Instead, visitors arriving under the “Test & Go” program will need to take a self-administered rapid antigen test on the fifth day and report the result on a cellphone app.

The center also reduced the minimum required health insurance coverage for COVID-19 treatment from $50,000 to $20,000 for each foreign entrant.

A total of 21,232 new confirmed cases and 39 deaths were announced today, although the number does not include many results found with antigen tests.

Thailand has reported 2.77 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic started in 2020. Nearly 550,000 cases, or around 20% of the total, were reported during the first two months of 2022.

Source: Oman News Agency