“Nationwide Lockdown Very Unlikely” – Thai PM

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that another lockdown is not necessary, despite the country’s first case of the Omicron variant. The Thai PM was reacting to business owners’ worries that another lockdown may be enforced during the country’s peak season.

“Hopefully, this coming New Year will be a happy time. We haven’t had that festive happiness for 2 years because of Covid-19. After all, everything now depends on how effective the Covid Free Setting and other measures are. If there is no new spread of the virus, who would ever close or lock down again? No one would.”

– Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha

The PM is confident that current health screening procedures will contain the new variant and prevent it from spreading in the country.  Currently, health officials require travelers from overseas to undergo a mandatory RT-PCR test upon arrival which is enough to identify and prevent the spread of the new COVID-19 variant.

According to the report, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated to increase protection against COVID-19.  He’s encouraging individuals who got their second jab in August to get a booster dose. The PM says that the early stages of the new variant indicate that it is less severe than the previous COVID-19 variants.

“According to the World Health Organization and other specialists, Omicron could be more transmissible than the previous variants but does not cause severe symptoms. We can only hope that this is true.”

Thailand’s Department of Disease Control said that all 17 close contact individuals are tested and all showed negative results. Officials announced Monday that the variant had been found in an American business traveler arriving in Thailand through Dubai from Spain.

The Omicron variant is anticipated to overtake the Delta variant as the prevalent strain on a worldwide scale. Although there is little evidence to establish the severity of the Omicron threat, early studies show that it could be less severe than the previous COVID-19 variants.

For more information on how to get into Thailand hassle-free using a Thailand Elite visa, CLICK HERE. Apply now and get a free 3 months visa extension.

Source: Bangkok Post