Thai children aged between 12 and 17 can now fly home on their own provided they have had at least one Covid-19 shot, the Foreign Ministry’s Department of Consular Affairs said on Saturday.
They can arrive in Thailand under the Test&Go or Sandbox scheme.
However, children who have not been vaccinated are still required to travel with their parents.
Those travelling on their own must produce evidence of vaccination at least 14 days before their travel date and register for a Thailand Pass using their Thai passport. Only vaccines approved in Thailand will be considered.
Those who had previously registered but want to travel under the new measures must register again.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) marked the birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great on Sunday by putting its historic Pacific steam locomotives No 824 and 850 to work.
The trains, dating back to the World War II era, departed Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong Station at 8.10am and arrived in Ayutthaya at 10.25am. On the way, passengers were picked up at Samsen, Bang Sue, Bang Khen, Lak Si, Don Mueang and Rangsit stations.
Passengers could spend up to six hours in Ayutthaya before hopping back on their steam locomotive of choice at 4.40pm and arriving at Hua Lamphong at 6.55pm.
Tickets for the non-airconditioned No 824 train cost 299 baht per person, including meals and snacks.
Tickets for the airconditioned No 850 train cost 2,999 per person and included meals as well as a guided tour to sites with historical significance in Ayutthaya.
SRT will organise a similar trip on March 26 to mark the establishment of Thailand’s railways.
His Majesty King Rama IX’s birthday is also marked as national Father’s Day in Thailand.
No Omicron infections have been found in Thailand’s southern provinces, deputy government spokesperson Ratchada Dhnadirek said on Saturday.
Tests were widely conducted in the provinces of Songkhla, Satun, Trang, Phatthalung, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat after a student returning from South Africa tested positive in Malaysia.
However, the person has been quarantined and all close contacts are being monitored and tested, Malaysian authorities say.
As for calls to reopen the Thai-Malaysia border, Ratchada said the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) is considering the proposal and will come up with a solution after its meeting on December 13.
BlackPink’s Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban has fully recovered from Covid-19 and completed her quarantine period, the band’s managing company announced on Saturday.
YG Entertainment said that Lalisa, the only Thai member of the South Korean pop group, could come out of self-isolation now that she has fully recovered.
Lalisa was diagnosed with Covid-19 nine days ago and was being treated at home.
The company said other members of the band – Rosé, Jennie and Jisoo – did not require quarantine because they had completed their vaccinations one week before Lalisa tested positive. Lalisa had also been double jabbed.
The announcement also said that the group will minimise its outdoor activities and only fulfil scheduled appointments that are unavoidable. They will also strictly adhere to Covid-19 prevention measures.
Germany will remove Thailand from its list of high-risk countries on Sunday, the Royal Thai Embassy in Berlin announced on its Facebook page a day earlier.
Under the new regulations, people from Thailand can travel to Germany without having to register or undergo quarantine.
However, all travellers should show at least one of the following:
• A negative result from an RT-PCR test (taken no more than 72 hours before arrival) or an antigen test (taken no more than 48 hours before).
• Vaccination certificate (only Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines).
• Proof that the travellers have fully recovered from Covid-19 and received at least one shot of the above vaccines.
The embassy has advised travellers to keep an eye out for news as Germany’s travel measures could change at any time.
Email consular@thaiembassy.de or call +49 3079 4810 for more information.
The three-month-old wild elephant found in Chanthaburi late last month with severe leg injuries is showing positive signs of recovery, a veterinarian said on Saturday.
“Fah Sai”, formerly known as “Kwak Rak”, was found with eight horrific gunshot wounds on her front left thigh and an almost torn off right ankle from a snare one week ago in Chanthaburi’s Khao Sib Ha Chan National Park area.
The unfortunate little creature was then taken to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Chonburi province on Thursday to be cared for by a veterinarian team from Pattaya’s Nern Plub Wan Animal Hospital.
A veterinarian told reporters on Saturday that the young elephant is gradually recovering and responding well to her caretakers. The veterinarians have built her a temporary foam prosthetic to support her injured ankle, which is being constantly medicated, cleaned and given laser treatment to reduce pain and accelerate tissue regeneration.
The team says that Fah Sai needs to be monitored closely and her blood samples tested regularly to ensure there is no infection.
150 of the 252 tourists from eight African countries who entered Thailand between November 15 and 30 are not infected with the Omicron Covid-19 variant, the Immigration Bureau said on Saturday.
Deputy bureau chief Pol Maj-General Archayon Kraithong said the agency and public health officers are tracking down the rest of the travellers.
He added that some 500 tourists from the other 46 countries have tested negative to Covid-19.
He also confirmed that the Immigration Bureau has tightened checks on foreign arrivals after the discovery of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
As of December 1, Thailand banned flights from eight counties in the south of Africa, namely Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Public Health Ministry admitted on Saturday that they cannot achieve the target to administrate 100 million Covid-19 doses to citizens by Sunday.
Public Health Permanent Secretary Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit said the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide was 94 million doses, expecting to reach 95 million doses on Sunday.
“Even though we cannot reach the target, the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide was very high,” he said.
For rumours of protesters’ move to hold a demonstration against vaccine mandate, Kiattiphum said people can decide whether they will receive Covid-19 vaccine jab or not, but he advised them to receive it to ensure the safety of themselves and others.
“Thailand has various types of Covid-19 vaccines, so people can choose vaccines freely,” he added.
Ministry of Public Health reported on Sunday (December 5) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 4,704 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 47 of whom have been found in prisons.
Death toll increased by 27, while 6,149 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,141,241 – 2,048,815 of whom have recovered, 71,482 are still in hospitals and 20,944 have died.
Separately, another 289,259 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 330,424 their second shot and 100,518 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 95,251,358.
According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 265.7 million on Sunday, 239.36 million of whom have recovered, 21.08 million are active cases (86,669 in severe condition) and 5.26 million have died (up by 5,650).
Thailand ranks 24th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 49.93 million, followed by India with 34.63 million, Brazil with 22.13 million, the UK with 10.42 million and Russia with 9.76 million.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Sunday (December 5) that the strong high-pressure system which covers Thailand is weakening causes an increase in temperature by 1-2 °C but cool to cold with strong winds in the area.
The mountaintops are likely in the North cold to very cold with isolated frost a minimum temperature in range of 4-11 °C. The mountaintops are likely in the Northeast cold to very cold a minimum temperature in range of 6-13 °C. People should keep healthy due to the variable weather.
The weak northeast monsoon prevails across the Gulf and the South. Less rain and isolated thundershowers are likely in the South.
The 24-hour weather forecast for different regions:
North: Cool to cold with light fog and a slight increase in temperature; temperature lows of 12-16 degrees Celsius, highs of 26-30 °C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 4-11 degrees Celsius.
Northeast: Cool to cold with strong winds and an increase in temperature by 1-2 °C; temperature lows of 11-18 degrees Celsius, highs of 27-29 °C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 6-13 degrees Celsius.
Central: Cool with strong winds and an increase in temperature by 1-2 °C; temperature lows of 16-20 degrees Celsius, highs of 28-30 °C.
East: Cool with strong winds and an increase in temperature by 1-2 °C; temperature lows of 19-23 degrees Celsius, highs of 28-30 °C; waves about 1 metre high and 1-2 metres offshore.
South (east coast): Cool with strong winds; temperature lows of 20-25 degrees Celsius, highs of 28-31 °C; waves 1-2 metres high and about 2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Isolated thundershowers; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees Celsius, highs of 31-33 °C; waves 1-2 metres high and about 2 metres offshore.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Cool with strong winds and an increase in temperature by 1-2 °C; temperature lows of 20-21 degrees Celsius, highs of 28-30 °C.
SootinClaimon.Com 