As the countdown begins for the country’s reopening, we find ourselves trapped in the same old dilemma that led to the series of Covid outbreaks this year, including the Thong Lor cluster in April that led to a cumulative total of 1.8 million coronavirus infections.
Under the reopening plan, foreign tourists from 46 “low-risk” countries can travel to Thailand from Nov 1 onward without needing to quarantine — they just need to stay in a designated hotel for one night while waiting for their PCR test result. After that, they can visit designated areas in 17 provinces, such as Koh Chang in Trat province. While these soon-to-be-reopened areas have vaccination campaigns targeting 70% of the population, in reality, current rates across the country are still unsatisfactorily low.
The reopening plan, which follows the Phuket and Samui “Sandbox” model, is driven by…
