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Coronavirus pandemic
This Week in AsiaExplained

Explainer | Why Thailand’s 10-day coronavirus quarantine rule is sparking hope for tourism

  • Thailand has reduced quarantine for unvaccinated tourists from 14 to 10 days
  • The restrictions will ease further in the coming months but would-be travellers still need to consider their home city’s rules

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Tourists are seen on Patong Beach in Phuket before the pandemic. From July, people who have been vaccinated will not need to quarantine in the province, as Thailand seeks to restart its tourism industry. Photo: AP
Jitsiree Thongnoi
Thailand is the latest country after the US, Britain, Belgium and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to shorten its 14-day quarantine requirement to 10 days for unvaccinated travellers.

It is the first Southeast Asian country to reduce quarantine restrictions to speed up the recovery of its tourism sector, which has so far seen millions forced out of work and has plunged the country’s GDP to the lowest in the region.

The announcement was issued ahead of Thailand’s annual Songkran, or water festival, which takes place from April 10-18. While last year’s event was cancelled, the government is hoping to boost domestic tourism with this year’s Songkran. It will allow some celebrations to go ahead, but has banned the spraying of water guns in what has been described as the world’s biggest water fight.

What are Thailand’s rules exactly?

Visitors from almost all countries including the rest of Asia will only need to quarantine for 10 days from this month, while those who have completed their full vaccination course and have received a certificate only need to do seven days.

The rule does not apply to travellers from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Cameroon, Congo, Ghana and Tanzania, who will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine to prevent the spread of the South African variant of the coronavirus, according to the government.

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