The Thai government is to introduce a new application, called “Thailand Plus”, to enable the tracing of foreign tourists in the country.

Mr. Sompote Arhunai, CEO of the Energy Absolute Company, which developed the “Mor Chana” application, said that the Thailand Plus app functions like Mor Chana, but it will link to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding the certificate of entry (COE) of the arriving foreign tourists, for screening and tracing, from arrival in Thailand, for the prevention of COVID-19 spread.

Similar to a GPS system, he said that officials will know the whereabouts of the tourists during their stay in Thailand, in case any of them are found to have contracted the contagion, so that action can be taken immediately to prevent its spread.

He disclosed that, so far, as many as 600,000 Thais have downloaded the Mor Chana application, as he urged more Thai people to do so as a preventive measure, assuring that their privacy will not be compromised by the system.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has introduced a conditional special tourist visa (STV), for long-stay tourists from low-risk countries, in order to revive the tourism industry, which has been badly battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the requirements to be met by such tourists include a 14-day mandatory hotel or hospital based quarantine period and health insurance of 400,000 baht minimum.