What we know about the new travel restrictions (5.45pm):
1) #Thailand to suspend new applications for (nearly) quarantine-free entry for fully vaccinated travelers form 63 countries and territories due to #Omicron variant from Dec 22 onwards to (at least) Jan 4, ’22.
2) All approved #ThailandPass holders can still enter Thailand as scheduled, but will have to undergo a 2nd PCR test at a “govt-assigned facility” on the 7th day at no extra cost. All those that are still waiting for their confirmation are advised to wait until it.
3) All new arrivals (meaning those applying for a #ThailandPass after Dec 22) to #Thailand can only enter via a hotel quarantine or via the #PhuketSandbox scheme. Duration differs depending on departure location and vaccination status.
4) What we DO NOT know for certain yet: Whether all #ThailandPass arrivals under the “Test&Go” scheme have to be quarantined longer than 1 night. No Thai official other than PM @prayutofficial has publicly mentioned it. (End)
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(THREAD) There's lots of confusion about the new travel rules to #Thailand b/c of #Omicron. There's bigger confusion for those scheduled to arrive here and what they're facing, leading a lot of frantic queries (RIP my inbox).
Here's a breakdown of the contradictory statements.
1) First, about #Omicron: The #COVID19 variant is wreaking havoc across the world, leading many countries to re-introduce restrictions. #Thailand has at least 63 confirmed #Omicron cases with dozens of more suspected cases being analyzed, as a domestic transmission is feared.
2) Since Nov 1, in a bid to revive tourism, #Thailand introduced a nearly quarantine-free scheme for fully vaccinated arrivals from selected countries (called "Test & Go". They'd only need to stay for 1 night and can leave when their PCR test is negative.
THREAD: Today, a joint-session of the Thai parliament will attempt to vote on const. amendments - again. It’s the bare minimum of reforms the elected MPs could agree on, but the senators appointed by the prev. military govt could fail it - again. Here’s what we’re dealing with.
1) First a small history lesson: Following the 2014 military coup, the junta at that time (led by then army chief @prayutofficial) commissioned a new constitution that aims to prevent what they and their like-minded proponents called “parliamentary dictatorship”.
2) “Parliamentary dictatorship” was a thinly-veiled reference to any elected govt since 2000 that were won by parties led by @ThaksinLive and its later re-incarnations, popular but also accused and perceived to be corrupt by its enemies.
A major shake-up in the @prayutofficial govt. Thamanat is/was a coalition enforcer who rose through the ranks of the (@pprpthailand despite his Australian drug trafficking conviction) who commands dozens of MPs. @DrNarumonP is also a senior party member. Looks like a faction war
Outgoing Dep-Agric. Min Thamanat tells reporters at parliament he’s resigning out of his own and has been thinking about it “for a few months already”. He was rumored to have led a failed attempt to topple PM @prayutofficial at last week’s no-confidence vote.
LIVE-THREAD: Thai PM @prayutofficial is scheduled to hold a televised address this evening at 6pm BK following the national anthem.
Follow along for live updates of the speech.
PM @prayutofficial: “With the rapid progress of the vaccination program, I would like to update on the roadmap ahead of our recovery from #COVID19.”
Prayut: “We have made fast progress negotiations with #COVID19 vaccine suppliers. Now we have 6 incl. Pfizer, Johnson&Johnson, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Sinopharm. We have reserved 105.5 mil doses. We plan to give 10 million shots per month from July.”
THREAD: Chulabhorn Royal Academy (CRA) will procure Sinopharm #COVID19 vaccines as a supplementary option to the govt’s vaccine rollout, which is more and more criticized for being chaotic. But even more chaotic was the news of a company claiming to supply to them…
1) Background: CRA consists of medical research centers and is chaired by Princess Chulabhorn. Royal Gazette announced this week that it can procure #COIVD19 vaccines. It’s seen as a slight against the govt’s increasingly messy mass vaccine policy, set to start Jun 7.
2) Observers also wondered if the royal decree would cut through any red tape, but officials quickly pointed out that whoever is importing #COVID19 vaccines still have to stick the rules, incl. of the @fdathai.
THREAD: So here’s where the rumor came from that @pfizer’s #COVID19 vaccine is already in #Thailand even though @fdathai has not received any paperwork for approval yet and just rebuked this.
1) It all started with self-exiled fmr Thai PM @ThaksinLive claiming in a live stream on Tuesday night that a small amount of @pfizer’s #COVID19 vaccine is already in #Thailand and given to a “probably a small group”.