Pandemic hit areas

Tourists wear face masks at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok in August 2020 (Photo: AFP/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) – The Thai government on March 4 unveiled its “ area quarantine ” plan to open Thailand to foreign tourists from next month. Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn revealed details of the plan after meeting with the Ministry of Public Health and 216 tourism operators. Area quarantine will be piloted in five provinces popular with foreign tourists – Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani (Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan) and Chon Buri (Pattaya). The plan will be operated via 29 travel agencies supervised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Under the plan’s timeline, tourists will quarantine in their rooms for the first three days and then be swab-tested for COVID-19 at their hotels. If they test negative, they will be granted access to the whole hotel or resort until their 14-day quarantine ends. After 14 days they will be tested again. If no infection is found they will be allowed to travel freely through the quarantine area. Thailand’s tourism has been hit hard by the pandemic. In 2019, the country hosted 39.9 million visitors who spent about 1.9 trillion baht (63 billion USD), or 11.3 percent of its GDP. In 2020, the number of tourists to Thailand dropped to 6.7 million. The figure is projected to decrease further to 5 million in 2021, resulting in the spending of just 260 billion baht./. VNA …

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Earlier, more than 117,600 doses of the vaccine, manufactured in the Republic of Korea (RoK), arrived in Vietnam on February 24. After holding working sessions with the producer, Vietnam has obtained an accreditation certificate for the batch from the RoK. Long said the doses, verified by the ministry, meet the conditions for vaccination in Vietnam. As scheduled, on March 6, the Health Minister will chair a conference to launch the vaccination plan and provide related training for medical staff nationwide in the use and storage of the vaccine, as well as the handling of post-injection complications. According to the official, priority in vaccination will be given to people at the front line of the fight against COVID-19, including health, army, police, customs and immigration personnel; those working in sectors offering essential services like aviation, transport, tourism and education; people with chronic illnesses or above 65 years old; those living in pandemic-hit areas; the poor and beneficiaries of social welfare policy. People getting the shots will be monitored via digital health records and receive e-certificates for their completion of inoculation. Vietnam plans to import about 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines this year. …

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Vietnamese and Japanese firms receive support to expand operations The Japan Trade Promotion Organisation (JETRO) will host an online scheme on March 3 in Hanoi aimed at connecting Japanese businesses in the field of manufacturing and production, known as Monozukuri in Japanese term to facilitate co-operation amid the negative impacts caused the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a representative from the JETRO, the business matching programme will see the participation of 40 Japanese companies for the purpose of accelerating the development of the country’s supporting industry. At present, the scheme has received registration for 50 negotiations from enterprises from Japan, Vietnam, and Taiwan (China), whilst it is still receiving registration from businesses wishing to purchase and seek Japanese suppliers in the Monozukuri field until March 1. A recent survey conducted by the JETRO unveiled that Japanese businesses remain keen on the Vietnamese market as the country is viewed as an alternative investment destinations for Japanese enterprises looking to move away from China due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey indicates that approximately half of Japanese enterprises in the nation plan to expand their production activities, while roughly 70% of them seek opportunities to increase revenue in the local market. Most notably, 46.8% of Japanese enterprises unveiled that they have initiated plans to expand their business in the nation over the course of the next two years, with the expansion rate ranking fourth, the highest in the Asia-Pacific region. Japanese enterprises have therefore attributed their expansion to an increase in revenue in the domestic market and high growth potential. Furthermore, Japanese firms are also considering re-establishing some supply chains which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Vietnam able to capture the attention of suppliers and buyers of materials globally. VN-Index finishes lower as …

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