Thailand considers new pandemic policies amid COVID spike

A health official in Thailand said the country will consider new COVID-19 restrictions including limitations on large gatherings and a ban on restaurant alcohol sales in an effort to mitigate the spread of the virus. 

The new measures will be considered by the government on Friday, when it will also review a now-suspended “Test & Go” policy that permitted vaccinated people arriving in the country to skip quarantine, according to Reuters.

Sumanee Watcharasin, a spokeswoman for Thailand’s COVID-19 task force, warned that the country’s cases could reach the “tens of thousands in the next two weeks” if masking and testing protocols are not followed, Reuters reported.

On Wednesday, Thailand reported 3,899 new infections, well over the average of 2,600 daily cases the country was seeing toward the end of 2021, per the wire service.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently lists Thailand as a Level 3 risk, meaning it has a “high level of COVID-19” but is still one level away from being deemed the highest risk level, or Level 4.

“Make sure you are fully vaccinated before traveling to Thailand,” the agency warned.

“Unvaccinated travelers should avoid nonessential travel to Thailand,” it added.

According to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University, 65 percent of Thailand’s population is fully vaccinated in the country, which has seen more than 2.2 million cases throughout the pandemic.