The Tourism Authority of Thailand is holding countdown events in five provinces despite fears over the highly transmissible Omicron variant, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Tuesday.
The “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2022 – Amazing New Chapters” will be held from December 27 to 31 in Phuket, Chiang Mai, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Ratchasima and Rayong.
The festivals are expected to be an extravaganza of lights, cultural performances and music. The events will also showcase community products and local food.
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a loan of 35.97 billion baht for the following projects:
• 35.06 billion baht for the procurement of 30 million doses of Pfizer vaccine and 60 million doses of AstraZeneca for use next year. • 300 million baht for Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s “Thailand Festival Experience”, which aims to generate 2.35 billion baht and attract no less than 200,000 visitors.
• 607.15 million baht to help people working in the entertainment industry who have been affected by the government’s Covid-related measures.
The Cabinet also accepted the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry’s proposal to reopen Krabi’s Maya Bay to tourists from New Year’s Day. The ministry also plans to waive entrance fees at 133 national parks on December 31 and January 1.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul tasked the Department of Disease Control with adjusting measures to curb infections from the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
He also instructed relevant agencies to ensure all measures are strictly adhered to, especially during New Year countdown events.
This was after the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced on Tuesday that it was suspending the Test & Go scheme for arrivals.
Anutin also warned people to be extra cautious, especially since 97 more cases are awaiting test results for Omicron.
The Nonthaburi Provincial Public Health Office also said on Tuesday that 25 of the 31 individuals who returned from Saudi Arabia on December 15 tested positive for Omicron.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced on Tuesday it was suspending the Test & Go scheme in a bid to curb infections from the Omicron variant.
“We will not allow tourists to register under the Test & Go scheme until the situation is re-evaluated on January 4,” Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said in his capacity as chief of CCSA.
He added that 110,000 tourists have been approved under the Test & Go scheme, while 90,000 are waiting to land under this scheme.
The premier added that Thailand was able to deal with the highly transmissible Omicron variant because it is fairly easy to treat.
He also said that there will be no further changes to measures related to the arrival of foreign tourists, but it would be necessary to monitor those who have already arrived under the Sandbox and Test & Go schemes.
Prayut also said New Year festivities will go ahead as planned.
The mayor of Chonburi’s Sattahip district said on Monday that the power pole running through a pedestrian bridge should be removed by the Royal Thai Navy once it gets its budget next year.
Mayor Narong Bunbancherdsri said the bridge is still being built, and that the district authorities were planning to have the pole removed anyway. However, he said, all power poles come under the control of the Royal Thai Navy Welfare Concession and that it will have to wait for the government to provide funds for its removal next year.
The mayor’s statement came after a Facebook user’s images of the pedestrian bridge went viral on December 9.
Thailand is getting ready to host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit next year, the first physical meeting since the last one was held in 2018 in Papua New Guinea.
Deputy National Police chief Pol General Wirachai Songmetta has been tasked with overseeing security and traffic matters for the summit, which will be held at the end of 2022.
He said this is the first time that Apec leaders will be meeting in person after four years of absence due to political situations and the pandemic.
He added that he was discussing security policies related to accommodation, transportation and summit venues with relevant agencies. He is also looking into controlling traffic, training officers and ensuring the efficiency of radio communication.
Wirachai also called on the public to cooperate and help the authorities impress summit attendees so Thailand can stand tall on the world stage.
The Public Health Ministry announced on Monday that 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered from February 28 to December 19.
As of Sunday, it crossed its target with 100,054,961 jabs having been administered.
The ministry aims to have at least 70 per cent of the population or 50 million people double jabbed to create herd immunity and cut down on severe infections and deaths from Covid-19. It has 12 days to fulfil this target.
So far, 70.21 per cent of Thailand’s 72 million people have received their first dose, 61.63 per cent their second dose, 6.97 per cent their third dose and 0.09 per cent their fourth dose.
The ministry is also calling on people to get their booster shots, especially those who have had two doses of the AstraZeneca or Sinovac from February to September.
The Pattaya Countdown 2022 festival is expected to attract more than 50,000 people now that the city is coming back to life with 80 per cent of hotel bookings over the past weekend, city officials said on Monday.
Mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem said Thailand’s reopening on November 1 and the government’s “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” (We Travel Together) scheme have helped revive tourism in the city.
Sonthaya added the countdown festival will be held from December 29 to 31 at Bali Hai Pier and more than 50,000 are expected to countdown the New Year.
Meanwhile, president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association Boonanan Pattanasin said the tourism sector is improving thanks to the government’s stimulus measures. He said hotel bookings have risen to 70 to 80 per cent over the past weekend after more than a year of stagnation.
Damrongkiat Pinitkarn, secretary to the Entertainment Venues and Tourism Association in Pattaya, said that though the measures have improved domestic tourism, bringing back foreign tourists and reopening night entertainment venues will take some time.
He added that all sectors need to work jointly in curbing the spread of Covid-19 so that the Centre of Covid-19 Situation can lift more restrictions.
Two people recently called the 1212 Online Complaint Centre to say they had been tricked out of 218,791 baht by an online cybercurrency scam.
The victims said they wanted to earn some extra money, and agreed to invest in Bitcoin via “The one” website. They first opened an account with 50 baht and invested six times more when they began turning a profit every time. However, the losses began piling up soon after.
At a press conference on Monday, Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said the ministry had taken down the website and those behind it are being tracked down. He also urged people to beware of digital scams, particularly concerning cryptocurrency which is becoming popular among investors.
The ministry and the Royal Thai Police are in touch with Google because many fraudulent websites pay the search engine big bucks for top listing. The authorities are also in touch with more than 10 cryptocurrency websites that have been authorised by the Securities Exchange Commission to improve their standards.
Chaiwut advised people to check and see if the investment websites are legit by studying information made available by the Stock Exchange of Thailand.
The ministry has also recommended that people ensure the spelling of the website is correct because many websites duplicate the design of legitimate sites and steal usernames and passwords.
Also present at the press conference were the Technology Crime Suppression Division and the president of Thailand Help Centre for Cyberbullying Victims, who is coordinating with the victims as they are not currently in Bangkok.
The Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Monday that Thailand has four clusters of Omicron infections so far.
“The first cluster was reported by Nonthaburi Public Health Office and is connected to Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Ratchasima and Bangkok,” CCSA deputy spokesperson Dr Sumanee Watcharasin said on Monday.
“This group comprises 31 people who had visited Saudi Arabia for religious reasons in early December. They returned to Thailand on December 15, and 14 of them tested positive. Two days later four more people were confirmed infected,” said Sumanee, who is also director of Risk Communication and Health Behaviour Development Office at Department of Disease Control.
“Six of the 14 have been infected with the Omicron variant, while eight have picked up the Delta variant. The remaining four are awaiting lab results,” she added.
The second cluster is a Columbian man and his Thai wife landing in Thailand from Nigeria on November 26, before flights from southern African countries were prohibited. They entered under the Phuket Sandbox scheme and tested positive for Omicron on December 10. One person who was in close contact with them is at high risk, though 89 others are at low risk. However, all 90 have been put under quarantine.
The third cluster was reported in Narathiwat when three out of a group of 133 returning from the Middle East tested positive for Covid-19. Of them, one picked up Omicron, while the other two have Delta. Four people came in close contact with the infected, while 126 are seen as low risk.
The fourth cluster covers seven Thai and foreign nationals who entered the country between December 13 and 16 via Samui and Phuket and tested positive upon arrival.
“Lab tests have confirmed that all seven of them are infected with the Omicron variant,” Sumanee said. “Officials are investigating those who may have come in contact with the patients and will provide updates as soon as possible.”
The Department of Medical Sciences announced on Monday that as many as 63 Omicron cases have been confirmed in Thailand with another 20 or so awaiting confirmation.
Meanwhile, president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association Boonanan Pattanasin said the tourism sector is improving thanks to the government’s stimulus measures. He said hotel bookings have risen to 70 to 80 per cent over the past weekend after more than a year of stagnation.
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