Rayong declares themselves “Covid free” and focuses on attracting domestic tourism

Rayong-

The province of Rayong has announced that they are “Covid Free” after recording over two weeks since a well publicized issue in which an Egyptian soldier broke quarantine and went to a shopping mall in the province.

You can read more about that story here.

Provincial Governor Surasak Charoensirichot of Rayong told associated Thai media that the province tested over 6,900 people following the incident. All tested negative for the Covid-19 Coronavirus.

Rayong Tourism Association’s Chairman Chayut Chaitrakulthong added to the Governor’s statements by saying that the province was ready to welcome back tourists and that the province was completely safe.  He also added that the province was working on several events in partnership with the Thai government and Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to draw tourists back to the province and restore their confidence.

This follows the CCSA admitting that the Thai Government had fault in the incident which saw the Egyptian soldier break quarantine and promise to help Rayong recover.

The incident also caused Thailand to “crackdown” on VIP’s and other groups of people that were previously exempted from quarantine.  Now, even diplomats must go through a fourteen day state or alternative state quarantine before they are allowed to enter the country properly.