Thailand will soon allow entry of foreign travelers who are infected with the COVID-19 virus, following the cabinet’s approval to remove the disease from the list of illnesses that bar visitors’ entry into the country.
However, she noted that visitors with dangerous stages of tuberculosis, leprosy, elephantiasis, third-stage syphilis, chronic alcoholism, and drug abuse-related disease are still barred from entering Thailand.
The move comes as Thailand has seen a rebound in its tourism sector, with 3.78 million tourist arrivals from January to August, the majority of which came from Malaysia, India, and Singapore.
“The government is working on a plan to come up with measures to promote tourism to accommodate more tourists during the [coming] peak season,” deputy government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul said.
Thailand’s cabinet has also approved the move to extend the duration of the visa-on-arrival—which applies to nationals from 19 countries including India, China, and Saudi Arabia—from 15 to 30 days starting in October.
“We are looking to extend their stay as this will help boost tourist spending, revive the economy and reduce the impact of the pandemic,” Taweesilp said.
