Thailand, Mauritius and the Netherlands are open again for South Africans

• The holiday-friendly island nations of Thailand and Mauritius, as well as the Netherlands, reopened or announced they would welcome travelers from South Africa again on Friday.
• In August and September, a number of countries lifted specific or general travel restrictions that kept South Africa out.
• In Thailand you are still restricted where you can go in the first week, Mauritius will require a test on arrival as well as on the fifth day.
• For more stories, visit www.BusinessInsider.co.za.

Two holiday destinations on the island and one of Europe’s top destinations have opened to visitors from South Africa – with some movement restrictions and testing requirements.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced that the country has lifted restrictions on its “sandbox” programme, which gives tourists access to one island for seven days, before giving them freedom to travel anywhere in the country.

This allows fully vaccinated South Africans to visit sandbox sites in Phuket, Surat Thani (Ko Samui, Ko Pha-Ngan, Ko Tao), Phang-Nga (Khao Lak, Ko Yao) and Krabi (Ko Phi Phi and Ko Ngai). and Raleigh Beach).

Meanwhile, the island of Pierre Mauritius has prompted its planned reopening to foreign visitors, with 89% of the population now having received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Unvaccinated visitors are required to stay in the resort bubbles for 14 days, but those who are fully vaccinated are allowed to move freely – with mandatory tests on arrival (plus a PCR test before departure), and on the fifth day of their stay.

Mauritius announced details of the reopening in mid-September, after the national carrier earlier announced plans to resume flights to and from SA in October.

Also on Friday, the Netherlands removed South Africa from its list of “high-risk” countries from 9am.

The Netherlands announced in June that it would allow a very specific subset of South Africans – students, key figures and those with compelling family reasons – to enter the country after a quarantine period of at least five days.

The number of countries included in the travel canning list is growing rapidly

Seychelles opened to South African travelers in mid-September, even those who had not been vaccinated against Covid-19 were welcome as long as they showed a negative PCR test on arrival.

She said at the time that the island country would only request quarantine for those who tested positive for coronavirus while they were there.

See also | South Africans can now vacation in Seychelles – even if they haven’t been vaccinated

A number of other popular destinations for South African travelers opened in August and early September, including Germany, Austria, Canada (albeit with mandatory quarantines for unvaccinated children aged 12-17) and Ireland (even with the UK). SA kept it on its red list).

The United States is expected to drop major restrictions on countries, including South Africa, during the month of November.

In general, avoiding self-isolation requirements at home, at least in such countries, requires proof of full vaccination.

(Philip De Witt reports)

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