Thai hotels consider ‘10 days’ quarantine for foreigners

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Due to the COVID-19 prolonged lockdown, Thailand’s tourism industry is experiencing worst-ever crisis, where hundreds of hotels, guest houses, restaurants, bars, pubs, nightclubs and tourist attraction facilities are seeing extreme uncertainty as until now, there is no hope of return of the flow of the tourists in the country mostly due to various complications including lockdown, mandatory quarantine provisions imposed by the Thai authorities on foreigners etc. One of the key reasons behind foreigners not feeling intended to visit Thailand at this moment is the two-week’s mandatory quarantine provisions, which most of the tourists are seeing as a serious odd, as it would cost them both money and mental stress. Under this circumstance, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has gathered input from the tourism and hotel industries on potential measures to aid them in the current COVID-19 crisis, with loan deferments, utility discounts, and a tax deadline postponement among the measures to be proposed to the Prime Minister.

The Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, disclosed that the ministry has held talks with representatives of the tourism, hotel, and convention businesses to decide on measures to assist these businesses heavily affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Several measures were proposed in the discussion, including a 15% electricity charge discount, soft loan offers, tax filing deadline extension for the 2020 tax year, loan deferment offers, and a co-pay wage subsidy scheme for workers in these industries of up to 7,500 baht per month, as well as a suggestion to establish a fund to help tourism businesses.

These proposed ideas will be submitted in writing to the Prime Minister for his consideration.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports will also be proposing a new Hotel Quarantine program, where international arrivals can serve their quarantine in a hotel, being required to stay within their room for the first 10 days, then being allowed to come out to use hotel facilities during the last four days.

This proposed arrangement will need to be approved by the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, while participating hotels must meet the standards set by the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of the Interior.

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