Gov’t to Admit 50,000 More Travelers into Thailand

A health quarantine checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
A health quarantine checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

BANGKOK — The government on Monday said 50,000 foreigners are expected to begin flying to Thailand starting Wednesday as part of the partial border reopening in the coronavirus pandemic.

The travelers who registered for the journeys include about 30,000 people visiting for medical and wellness purposes. Others are business people who fall under the exemption granted by the government, which was expanded today to include six more groups of foreigners.

The new exempted arrivals include spouses and children of work permit holders, permanent residents, spouses and children of a Thai national, followers of a foreign patient, parents of foreign students, and business people travelling on a special agreement with the Thai government.

The initial phase was only restricted to patients seeking treatment in Thai hospitals and business travelers invited by Thai companies. 

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“Foreign patients in this case are not COVID-19 patients,” pandemic response center spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin said. “We only accept certain diseases and groups of patients such as cosmetic surgeries or fertility treatments. Thai doctors are famous for these treatments.”

Every traveler under the partial border reopening is required to undergo a self-funded isolation package at luxury hotels for 14 days, officials said.

About 700 people registered for the program on Wednesday, according to officials. But both the disease control department, which oversees quarantine measures, and the immigration bureau were unable to confirm how many of them have entered Thailand so far.