Health Ministry mulls dropping ‘Thailand Pass’ for returning nationals

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The revocation of Thailand Pass, pending approval from the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), means returning Thai nationals will no longer need to pre-register for entry.

The Ministry of Public Health is looking to drop Thailand Pass registration for international arrivals. If approved, the measure will first apply to returning citizens, before being extended to foreign travelers.

The revocation of Thailand Pass, pending approval from the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), means returning Thai nationals will no longer need to pre-register for entry.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the new measure will be piloted among returning Thai nationals before being expanded to foreign visitors at a later time.

On May 1, Thailand dropped the testing requirement for fully vaccinated visitors entering the kingdom, which saw some 200,000 international arrivals from April 29 to May 4.



Dr Sumanee Wacharasint, an assistant spokesperson for the CCSA, said 213,958 Thailand Pass applications were submitted between April 29 and May 4, 94.8% of which were approved.

On the extension of the Emergency Decree, the Minister of Public Health said it may not be necessary once COVID-19 is designated an endemic disease, at which point additional help from central authorities will no longer be required.(NNT)