Thailand Temporarily Bans All Foreigners Arriving from India

The government of Thailand has announced its barring all Indian citizens and other foreigners arriving from India from entering the Kingdom due to the severe covid-19 crisis there.

Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the Covid-19 Situation Administration spokesman, said on Sunday Thailand has postponed the process of issuing certificates of entry and visas for Indian citizens and foreigners arriving from India.

The Certificate of Entry (CEO) is compulsory for anyone who plans to come to Thailand.

Dr Thaweesilp said only Thai returnees from India will be issued Certificates of Entry. At least 130 Thai citizens have registered their intention to come back to Thailand next month with the Thai Foreign Ministry.

The decision comes amid the worsening covid-19 situation in India. More than 300,000 new cases and thousands of deaths logged every day recently from the UK variant of covid-19. India has now surpassed Brazil as the second-worst country after the United States in terms of new covid-19 cases.

Dr Thaweesilp also denied reports that wealthy Indian citizens were fleeing Covid-19 on charter flights to Thailand. Saying “There have been no resent charter flights from India to Thailand.”

Thailand on Sunday logged 11 new deaths, a record high that included a pregnant woman, raising the toll to 140. The government recorded 2,438 new coronavirus cases, all but five contracted locally, bringing the accumulated total of confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 55,460.

Although the number of new infections logged by the government during the 24-hour period ending at 11.59pm on Saturday was lower than the previous day, the Covid-related body count broke the record for the second consecutive day after Saturday’s toll of eight.