(Bloomberg) -- Thailand will scrap a pre-arrival Covid-free certificate requirement for vaccinated foreign visitors even as it reported record new infections, as more countries ease border controls to benefit from a rebound in global travel.
Starting April 1, foreign travelers will no longer be required to hold a Covid-free certificate issued within 72 hours of boarding a flight, but they will have to undergo an RT-PCR test on arrival and a self-administered antigen test on day five, according to Chote Trachu, permanent secretary of the Ministry Of Tourism and Sports.
The nation's main Covid task force, headed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, also agreed to extend a nationwide state of emergency to handle the Covid-19 outbreak by two months through the end of May, Chote said.
READ: Southeast Asian Tourist Hubs Easing Restrictions to Woo Visitors
Thailand is easing tourist curbs as countries from Australia to the Philippines and Indonesia join nations opening up borders after more than two years. The Southeast Asian nation is counting on the return of tourists in large numbers to sustain a nascent economic revival.
READ: Where You Can Travel Now Without a Vaccine or Covid Test
The baht erased losses of as much as 0.3% on expectations that easy visa rules will lure more holidaymakers and improve the nation's current account balance. The currency was headed for its first weekly advance in four, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Thailand reported 27,071 new cases on Friday, a record daily count, as an omicron-fueled Covid wave sweeps through much of the country of almost 70 million people. It also reported 80 new deaths, the highest daily fatalities since Nov. 5, official data showed.
While authorities have prepared a plan to classify the pandemic as endemic in the coming months, any progress toward it would be contingent on first controlling the current outbreak, Prayuth told reporters. The government hasn't canceled a mask mandate and some of the Covid restrictions will remain in force until the outbreak is tamed, he said.
The country will need to increase vaccine booster coverage to 60% of the population from 32% currently, and contain the death ratio to 0.1% of new cases to treat it as endemic, Taweesilp Visanuyothin, a spokesman for the Covid panel, told a briefing on Friday. Pubs, karaoke outlets and other nightlife entertainment venues will continue to remain shut though the industry has been demanding their reopening, he said.
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