A group of 41 tourists from Shanghai was the first foreign visitors to set foot in Thailand yesterday since travel and border restrictions were imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bearing a special tourist visa issued by the Thai government to individuals from countries deemed to be of low Covid-19 risks, these tourists arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport at about 17.00 yesterday, according to Yutthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Their visa will grant them entry to Thailand for up to 90 days.

Thai PBS World also reported that a second group of 100 visitors are due to arrive from China’s Guangdong province on Oct 26.

This evening’s arrival has been delayed for a month due to concerns by public health officials over a potential second wave of Covid-19 infections.

The Chinese tourists will undergo a Covid-19 screening upon arrival and remain in quarantine for 14 days, before they are allowed to proceed on their travel itinerary. They will be tracked by a tracing app on their smartphones.

While in quarantine, they will be given their first swab test on the third to fifth day after arrival, while the second test will be conducted on the 11th to 14th day.