Omicron variant, Singapore and Thailand close doors to foreign travelers
In less than 24 hours, the two Asian countries, the only ones to have undertaken a genuine reopening of their borders to [...]
Thailand
Singapore
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In less than 24 hours, the two Asian countries., the only ones to have undertaken a genuine reopening of borders to tourists from around the world, have decided to suspend the issuance of new permits until the new year pending a better understanding of how to respond to new outbreaks and the Omicron variant.
Yesterday it was Thailand to halt until next January 9 the issuance of Thai Passes, That is, permits for vaccinated tourists to enter the Kingdom. The Test & GO protocol, activated last Nov. 1, allowed visitors from more than 60 nations, including Italians, to travel to the Asian country by taking a PCR swab upon arrival and, if they tested negative, move freely throughout the nation.
As of yesterday, the issuance of new permits is suspended, but all travelers in possession of the authorization obtained before the stop will still be able to enter, according to the old protocol. The only difference is that they will have to undergo a second swab by the seventh day after arrival in Bangkok or the other areas open to tourists. In fact, the only way to be able to go to Thailand until the Thai Pass is reinstated remains the Phuket Sandbox, open to vaccinated and unvaccinated persons, a protocol that has been active since last July and has continued to operate for all travelers excluded from Test & Go.
Today, however, it was Singapore's turn, the city-state government suspended the issuance of permits through The Vaccinated Travel Lane protocol, namely the tourist corridor that also allowed Italians to travel for any reason to the Asian nation.
Until Jan. 20, no more permits will be issued and only travelers with LTV passes will be allowed to enter the country in the next month.
In conclusion
The Omicron variant has brought all governments back to redefine their plans for openings-we have seen how Israel has already decided to reopen its borders, while here we see two contrary actions by two nations that have been among the strictest on travel in the first 18 months of the pandemic. All that remains now is to wait and see what happens in the early months of 2022 to see if, past the festive period, things will return to almost the same as before.
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