5 provinces may delay reopening until November, Chiang Mai cautious

Despite some local leaders pushing hard and claiming readiness to reopen on October 1, several or all of the 5 provinces scheduled to reopen may be delayed until November 1, with Chiang Mai especially cautious about reopening. The deputy director for communications and marketing at the Tourism Authority of Thailand pointed out that the reopening plan can only go ahead in provinces where 70% of the population has been vaccinated.

The TAT recently held a meeting with the Public Health Ministry in a working group to assess the situation surrounding reopening before the proposal was formally submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The group had concerns over the vaccination levels in the provinces, as well as the Covid-19 situation throughout Thailand, with daily infections still over 10,000.

Tourism officials pushed for October 1 to be the reopening date for…