With hundreds of thousands of people around the world desperate to be able to visit Thailand after the country has been locked down to international visitors for more than nine months, one question people are now asking is this.
If you get a Covid-19 vaccine, does Thailand still require a 14-day quarantine upon arrival in the country?
Sadly, for those who believe a Covid-19 vaccine will make their lives easier, at least as far as the Thai government is concerned, that is currently not the case.
Why does Thailand require 14-day quarantine with a Covid-19 vaccination?
The simple truth is facts about the new Covid-19 vaccine are few and far between and, in some instances, sketchy at best.
Not one company that has developed or is manufacturing the vaccine is able to say with any certainty that being vaccinated will stop you spreading the virus to other people.
Also, there is not one long-term study yet that shows how effective the vaccine is in the general population, how long its effectiveness lasts, if it has one, or how it could affect others in a real life situation.
This is due to a vaccine normally going through a 10-year testing period. In the case of Covid-19, that testing period is less than nine months.
With governments around the world also telling their citizens, even after having a Covid-19 vaccine, you would still be expected to wear a mask and social distance, there are currently few advantages to being vaccinated.
Not unless you are elderly with pre-existing conditions, and feel you may be at risk from becoming extremely sick or dying should you contract the virus.
Yes, the companies that have developed the Covid-19 vaccine say it has an up to 95% protection rate. That cannot be completely proven, however, until millions of people have been administered the vaccine.
The same goes for being able to spread Covid-19 after getting the vaccine if you then contract the virus. Nobody knows if it will be possible, but there is a good chance it will.
Thai authorities require 14-day quarantine for everyone regardless of vaccination status
The above reasons are why, in recent days, Thailand’s Public Health Ministry has re-stated everyone arriving in Thailand is required to undergo a 14-day quarantine in an alternative state quarantine (ASQ) facility.
They say:
“There is no agreement or study on how effective the vaccine is in a real life environment.”
This is likely to be the case for several more months at least, until more solid information is available about the vaccine, its protection rate and its ability/inability to prevent the recipient from spreading Covid-19 to others.