Vaccine passports approved to cut quarantine time in Thailand
The National Committee on Communicable Diseases has approved the use of vaccine passports in Thailand, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced on Monday.
Under the measure, travellers with vaccination certificates will have their Covid-19 quarantine reduced from 14 days to seven days.
However, travellers from South Africa, where a highly contagious coronavirus variant is rife, will still have to undergo the full 14-day quarantine.
In Thailand, Covid-19 vaccination certificates will be issued for a fee of Bt100 by hospitals administering second doses of the vaccine from March 21. The certificates can be used for international travel once the World Health Organisation (WHO) has finalised criteria for vaccine passports.
The Thai vaccine-passport certificate will be valid for one year.
Anutin revealed the reduced quarantine applied to three categories of traveller:
First, foreign travellers who have a vaccination certificate dated not more than three months and not less than 14 days from date of entry. Travellers from South Africa still face 14 days of quarantine.
Second, Thai nationals returning to Thailand with a vaccination certificate dated not more than three months and not less than 14 days from date of entry.
Third, foreigners who have a Covid-free certificate but not a vaccination certificate will have their quarantine cut to 10 days. The measure is due to launch in April, said Anutin.
Meanwhile, the communicable diseases committee expects Covid-19 restrictions to be lifted once 70 per cent of the population has been vaccinated. It also announced plans to procure another 10 million doses of vaccine.
