THAILAND will drop quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated visitors from 10 low-risk countries from Nov. 1. Under the new plan, arrivals from the 10 approved countries will need to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test before they depart for Thailand and then do another test when they arrive, according to the Thailand Tourism Board. Once the result is negative, they will be free to move and travel around Thailand much in the same way that any Thai citizen can. The 10 countries considered low-risk include the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, China, Singapore, and Malaysia. More countries are expected to be added to the list in December when entertainment venues are permitted to open and alcohol sales are allowed to return under the latest phase of the reopening plan, Thailand’s prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said. Visitors from countries not on the approved list are still welcome to travel to Thailand but will have to meet other COVID-19 requirements such as traveling under the Sandbox Model. This model allows fully vaccinated tourists from about 70 countries to travel to Thailand without quarantining provided they stay in designated areas within Phuket, Phang-Nga, Surat Thani, Krabi or other approved destinations for at least seven days before traveling to other parts of the country. Under the system, visitors are also required to be regularly tested. While Thailand is gearing up for more tourists, a nationwide state of emergency remains in effect through Nov. 30. Cases are generally decreasing nationwide but some areas are seeing significant increases. (SD-Agencies) | 