Thailand needs a better Covid-19 strategy if it wants tourists to return
- With vaccine hesitancy high amid supply delays, the government must get its act together if Thailand is to reach herd immunity this year and not imperil the ‘Phuket Sandbox’ and other similar tourism reopening schemes
As of August 3, Phuket has shut down all domestic travel to and from the island due to the rising number of mainly Delta variant Covid-19 cases in Thailand. New daily infections have topped 18,000 nationwide.
A YouGov poll of Thai respondents found that the percentage of those willing to be vaccinated fell to 63 per cent in May. Though it has recovered since to 70 per cent, it remains well below the high of 83 per cent at the start of the year. A Suan Dusit Poll in late May found that only 57 per cent of respondents believe the vaccines offered by the government would help develop immunity against Covid-19 and its effects, with 59 per cent worried about side effects.
In Thailand, however, public dissatisfaction over the slow vaccination roll-out and vaccine supply delays persists. Many feel the government was shortsighted in not securing more vaccines from more sources before the latest outbreak. This lack of preparation has delayed the resumption of local businesses and livelihoods, particularly in the tourism-dependent economies of Phuket, Koh Samui and other places.
The government faces the twin challenges of convincing people that the Sinovac and the locally-made AstraZeneca vaccines are safe and effective, while working to procure more vaccines before the next Covid-19 wave.
Mass vaccination is crucial because the Thai economy is highly dependent on tourism. With no herd immunity in sight, the government can hardly assure the world that Thailand is safe to visit – hastily reopening more provinces via the “sandbox” scheme will only hamper efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19.
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The government is reportedly considering booster shots from different vaccine makers in response to the more contagious Delta variant. It is also looking at buying different and more effective vaccines such as by Moderna, and plans to order 20 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses to be delivered by the end of the year.
But even with better or more desirable vaccines on the way, Thai nationals cannot afford to wait to get vaccinated. This is because Thailand’s public health and economic well-being are tied together. Reaching herd immunity as soon as possible should remain the priority. The government must continue to push its vaccination programme.
Vaccine hesitancy and government disorganisation are Thailand’s public health tumours. If these are not removed, the country should be pessimistic about the future of any tourism “sandbox” scheme.
Jason Hung is a PhD in Sociology candidate at the University of Cambridge