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Thailand Reopens Tourism For Vaccinated Tourists – All You Need To Know

Good news for travel lovers! The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently announced that the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) which is chaired by Prime Minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, has approved the TAT’s three-stage roadmap to reopen six major tourist provinces – Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (Ko Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai – to vaccinated foreign tourists. This development follows the Royal Thai Government’s latest announcement: Thailand reduces quarantine for international arrivals from 1 April 2021, which includes the reduction of quarantine from 14 days to 7 days for vaccinated international arrivals involving the 11 groups of people currently permitted to enter Thailand. The TAT’s reopening roadmap will take place in stages in the second, third and fourth quarters of this year, specifically for vaccinated foreign tourists arriving in the six specified provinces, which are Thailand’s major tourist destinations. Also Read - Masks Are Still Important: Google Doodle is Back With An Important Reminder As Covid-19 Cases Surge What are the Three-Stage Reopening Plans? Three-stage reopening plans lead to no quarantine requirements for foreign tourist arrivals in five pilot destinations from October, with Phuket being the first to lift quarantine from July onwards: • Stage One (Q2), from April to June, vaccinated foreign tourists will be allowed to undergo quarantine in government-approved hotels or other facilities under a ‘0+7 nights + designated routes’ model. After completing the first 7 nights, they will be allowed to visit other destinations in Thailand. The ‘0+7 nights + designated routes’ model means that during quarantine, vaccinated foreign tourists will be allowed to engage in leisure activities within the premises of their hotels or other accommodation establishments. They will also be allowed to engage in outside travel activities within designated areas in their selected destination of arrival. • State Two (Q3), from July to September, Phuket will be the first destination to lift quarantine requirements for vaccinated foreign tourists under the ‘Phuket Sandbox’ programme. However, they will be restricted to travel activities within designated areas in Phuket for 7 days and will then be allowed to visit other Thai destinations. Vaccinated foreign tourist arrivals to five other major tourist destinations – Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (Ko Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai – will still be required to undergo quarantine under a ‘0+7 nights + designated routes’ model. • Stage Three (Q4), from October to December, all five other major tourist destinations will join Phuket in lifting quarantine requirements for vaccinated foreign tourists. Same as Phuket, tourists will be restricted to travel activities within designated areas in these destinations for 7 days before they are allowed to visit other Thai destinations. What Documents Do You Require To Enter Thailand? Upon arrival in all stages, vaccinated foreign tourists will be required to undergo a COVID-19 screening, including RT-PCR tests, and download the specified track and trace application. In order to be eligible to enter Thailand, vaccinated foreign tourists still need to have all of their advance arrangements in good order for arrival and entry. These include a valid visa or re-entry permit, a Certificate of Entry (COE) issued by the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate; a COVID-19 health insurance policy with a minimum coverage of US$100,000; confirmation of Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) hotel booking, and a medical certificate with an RT-PCR laboratory result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected issued any more than 72 hours before departure. Interested vaccinated foreign tourists are recommended to enquire at the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate in their home country for more details. In addition, in line with the Royal Thai Government’s announcement, vaccinated international arrivals must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine, approved, and registered with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) or approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO), no less than 14 days before the travelling date. They must also be from countries with no mutated strain of SAR-CoV-2 virus as announced and constantly updated by the MoPH. The following vaccines are accepted (as of March 31st 2021) 1. ARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (CoronaVac) by Sinovac (2 doses needed) 2. AZD1222 by AstraZeneca/Oxford (2 doses needed) 3. AZD1222 by SK BIOSCIENCE – AstraZeneca/Oxford (2 doses needed) 4. BNT162b2/CORMIRNATY – Tozinameran (INN) by Pfizer/BioNTech (2 doses needed) 5. Covishield (ChAdOx1_nCoV19) by the Serum Institute of India (2 doses needed) 6. Ad26.COV2.S by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (1 dose needed), and mRNA-1273 by Moderna (2 doses needed).

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Delhi government imposes night curfew from 10pm to 5am till April 30 amid rising Covid-19 cases

Authorities in Delhi imposed a seven-hour night curfew from Tuesday till April 30 to tackle the rising cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The announcement about the night curfew from 10pm to 5am comes a day after Delhi on Monday recorded 3,548 cases of coronavirus disease, according to health department bulletin, which have pushed the Capital’s caseload to 679,962. The death toll also rose to 11,096 after 15 new fatalities were recorded in the last 24 hours, the bulletin showed. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal last week said that the national capital is hit by the fourth wave of the virus, but a lockdown will not be imposed. "As per the current situation, we are not considering imposing a lockdown. We are closely monitoring the situation and such a decision will only be taken after due public consultation," Kejriwal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. "Buses, metro, autos, taxis and other modes of public transport will be allowed to ferry only those people who are exempt from night curfew. Departments providing essential services remain exempted. Rules applicable to the movement of people and not essential goods and services," an official was quoted as saying by ANI. Private doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, with an ID card, will be exempted from night curfew. On producing a valid ticket, passengers going to airports, railway stations and bus stations will also be exempted including patients and pregnant women going for treatment, officials said according to ANI. To travel for getting vaccinated, people need to have an e-pass. "No restrictions on traffic movement during night curfew. Owners of ration, general, fruits, vegetables and medical stores will be allowed on e-pass. Print and electronic media personnel will be allowed to move on e-pass," the official said, according to ANI. Delhi is among the 11 states and Union territories displaying an upward trajectory in daily Covid-19 cases. The Covid-19 tests positivity rate of the national capital has spiked from being less than one per cent during the first week of March to over 5 per cent on April 5. Delhi on Tuesday also registered the top spot in reporting new deaths from the disease in the last 24 hours. As per the Union health ministry data, the Capital is one of the eight states that contributed 81 per cent to the new deaths reported in the past 24 hours-446. States and Union territories across the nation have imposed stricter restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19. Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh have also imposed night curfew in the wake of rising cases of the coronavirus disease. Prior to the imposition of the night curfew, the Delhi government restricted the maximum number of people allowed in wedding ceremonies and last rites and opened schools only for students of Classes 9-12 for practical sessions.

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Covid-19: Tourist influx gradually picking up in J-K's Pahalgam

Visitor influx is gradually increasing at several tourist spots in the Pahalgam area in Anantnag which had been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. The current trend indicates that more tourists will visit Pahalgam to enjoy its mesmerizing beauty. Pahalgam which is known as the "valley of shepherds" is almost a hundred kilometres away from Srinagar city and considered one of the most beautiful tourist destinations of south Kashmir that used to attract a good number of tourists from different parts of the world every year. The department of tourism had restarted its activities to revive the tourism industry of Kashmir. The government had organised a two days Pahalgam festival with a number of cultural activities aimed to attract tourists. It seems that the promotional activities have given results as a good number of tourists from different states of the country are visiting Pahalgam. They are enjoying horse riding and delicacies of Kashmiri cuisine in addition to the exhilarating beauty the valley has to offer. Dr G N Itoo Director Tourism Kashmir said, "Pahalgam has got a great potential in tourism because of adventure tourism, rafting. Over 12,500 poor people in this area are dependent on tourism." "I am very happy that Kashmir has become a favourite destination for tourists worldwide. Government has to be given credit for this as they efficiently managed Covid-19 crisis, and when we opened up the destinations, the government improved the infrastructure, they did mobilisation." "The tourism has picked up, In the last 3 months over 25,000 domestic tourists and one lakh local tourists have enjoyed all the district destinations, mainly Pahalgam and Gulmarg." Ketan, a tourist said, "This is the first time I came to Srinagar. I stayed in Srinagar for two days and today I'm in Pahalgam. It is a great experience. The experience of horse riding felt very good. I am happy and I'm enjoying the trip." "I urge all travel lovers to come here. The place is very nice and the people here are nicer than that. They give a lot of respect, be it at a hotel or just passers-by, They treat you with so much love and respect," he added. Preeti Verma, another tourist said, " I had heard a lot about this place, people are very nice here. Just like the beauty of Kashmir, people here are also beautiful. I had long been wanting to see snowfall. I am very happy... I had high expectations, Pahalgam gave me over and above my expectations" Chris Zandy, a Foreign Entrepreneur said, "The tourist department does a lot for the livelihood of the local people. It is good to see the first tourists come in, enjoy and give some benefits to local," "Indian tourists cannot travel abroad due to the Covid-19 restrictions, they will visit Pahalgam, they may choose Pahalgam to escape the April heat. We are counting on them," he said.

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Singapore to accept visitors with COVID-19 digital travel pass from next month

Singapore will next month accept visitors who use a mobile travel pass containing digital certificates for Covid-19 tests and vaccines, its aviation regulator said on Monday, becoming one of the first countries to adopt the initiative. Singapore will accept the International Air Transport Association (IATA) mobile travel pass for pre-departure checks, where travelers can get clearance to fly to and enter Singapore by showing a smartphone application containing their data from accredited laboratories. The pass was successfully tested by Singapore Airlines . More than 20 carriers, including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Malaysia Airlines, are also testing the pass. "The success of our joint efforts will make IATA's partnership with the government of Singapore a model for others to follow," IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement. Asian business hub Singapore, which has had relatively few coronavirus cases this year, has been a leader in developing and using technology during the pandemic and wants to be among the first countries to reopen to host international events. Airlines are hoping more countries will approve digital passes on apps to allow travel to resume faster and avoid complications and delays at airports where multiple checks on documents are required. Currently, travellers from most countries are required to take pre-departure Covid-19 swab tests within 72 hours of their flights in order to travel to Singapore, with results presented at airport check-in and on arrival.

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Flight operations between Chennai and Jaffna to resume

Sri Lankan Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said, “The flight operations connecting the Maldives with South Indian destinations via Sri Lanka would be launched.” Several airlines are in talks with Sri Lankan authorities, he claimed. Initially, a civil terminal will be developed at Jaffna to handle 1000 passengers. Overall, the entire airport will be developed in three phases. The airport, commonly known as the Palali airport, has been used mostly for military purposes; first, by the British Royal Forces during the Second World War; secondly, by the Sri Lankan forces during the civil war. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, a few foreign airlines were operating flights from the airport but that stopped since the pandemic. There are also plans to expand the runway so that it could handle wide-body aircraft. The government is taking several initiatives to boost tourism in the country, including relaxing quarantine norms for those who have got their vaccine jabs. Data shows around 10,000 tourists have visited Sri Lanka since 21 January.

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COVID-19: Night curfew in Rajasthan from tonight; RT-PCR tests mandatory for travellers

In a bid to tackle the spike in coronavirus cases, the Rajasthan government imposed a night curfew and ordered the closure of multiplexes, gymnasiums besides suspending Classes 1 to 9 at schools from April 5 to 19, a statement said. According to the guidelines issued by Principal Secretary (Home) Abhay Kumar, the government also restricted the number of people at social gatherings to a maximum of 100. College classes, except for final-year students, will remain suspended during the period but students can take their practical exams with prior permission. Nursing and medical colleges will remain functional as earlier. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan government has made the RT-PCR test mandatory for people entering the state and those travelling outside. According to the Rajasthan government, amid a surge in COVID cases, RT-PCR test mandatory for people entering the state and those travelling outside. As per the guidelines, the night curfew will remain in force from 8 pm to 6 am. 1. Dining at restaurants and hotels during the curfew hours has been prohibited while home delivery of food has been allowed 2. Swimming polls operations will also remain suspended during the period 3. The Rajasthan government also advised people not to undertake inter-state travel 4. A special drive will be carried out to ensure the wearing of face masks, social distance and standard operating procedure 5. Special efforts will be made to increase the vaccination numbers On Sunday, two deaths and 1,729 coronavirus cases were reported in Rajasthan, taking the infection count to 3,39,325. So far, 2,829 people have died from the infection in the state.

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