All visitors to Thailand must show proof of at least two Covid-19 vaccinations under revised rules that coincide with the revival of travel from China, authorities said on Thursday.

Also, visitors who will be travelling onward from Thailand to a country that requires a negative RT-PCR test result must provide proof of insurance.

China still requires a negative PCR test result no older than 48 hours prior to arrival for all incoming travellers.

Thailand last October scrapped the requirement for proof of vaccination and antigen test results as well as health insurance. However, officials believe that as people resume travelling from China in large numbers, the prospect of people in many countries contracting Covid-19 will rise.

“The principle is there will not be any discrimination against a particular country because Covid-19 is spreading in all countries and the strains are similar. So, Covid-19 should not be an issue of discriminating against any country,” Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said.

He did not say when the new measures would take effect but officials said they should start before the arrival of Chinese visitors.

China on Sunday will scrap quarantine requirements for people entering the country, which is expected to open the floodgates for travel abroad by millions of Chinese residents. However, in the first few days and weeks, limited flight capacity is expected to keep visitor numbers low.

The first flight from China would arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport on Jan 12. In the first three months of this year 15 Chinese airlines would operate 15 flights a day to Suvarnabhumi, Chiang Mai and Phuket airports.