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Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) – Your Questions Answered

ASQ stands for Alternative State Quarantine. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you must currently go through a 14-day quarantine period when you arrive in Thailand. There is a list of approved ASQ hotels to choose from, which you must pay for.

Being cooped up in a hotel for 2 weeks doesn't sound much like a holiday, but for those desperate to get back to their life in Thailand, this is the only way (as of the time of writing).

It's not all bad, though. Yes, it's an expense you can do without, but consider that many countries around the world are either in lockdown or have local restrictions in movement.

So what's the alternative? Stay indoors at home for weeks, maybe months, or get yourself to Thailand, do your 14 days in a nice hotel and then have the freedom to travel to the beach for some sun and sea?

In this FAQ, I'll run through all the commonly asked questions about the Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) in Thailand.

Please note that some of the information provided may differ between hotels.

bangkok-ASQ

Image courtesy of Dynamic Wang

1. How Long Do I Have to Quarantine For?

All travellers entering Thailand are currently subject to a 14-day state quarantine. This means you cannot leave the hotel during this period.

If you test positive for COVID-19 at any of the test intervals then you be transferred to the partner hospital of the hotel.

2. What Are the Hotel Facilities Like?

A course a hotel will do its best to make the stay as appealing as possible, but obviously the more expensive the hotel the more frills you can expect.

At a minimum one can expect an extensive TV channel package, three meals a day delivered to your room, access to an outdoor area for gentle exercise, and a few COVID tests along the way.

3. What Times Are Meals Brought to the Room?

Generally speaking, meal times are as follows:

  • Breakfast: 7:00 AM – 09:00 AM.
  • Lunch: 12:00 PM – 14:00 PM.
  • Dinner: 18:00 PM – 20:00 PM.

4. Are the ASQ Hotels Only in Bangkok?

Initially ASQ was only available in Bangkok, but a list of Alternative Local State Quarantine (ALSQ) hotels have been announced in Phuket, Koh Samui, Chonburi, Burirum and Prachiburi.

5. How Do I Get to the Hotel From the Airport?

All ASQ bookings are packaged with a free transfer from the airport to the hotel.

6. How Can I Book an ASQ Hotel?

Previously you had to book directly with the hotel, but now all hotels are available through Agoda.

7. What Are the Rules on Sharing Rooms?

Only married couples and parents with children are eligible to share rooms. You’ll have to provide a copy of your marriage certificate as proof of your relationship. For children, you must provide a birth certificate or adoption certificate.

Singletons must have separate rooms.

8. Am I Allowed Alcohol in My Room?

No. There is no alcohol allowed. That said, some people have reported being able to get beer in some hotels. Additionally, your bags are not checked :). Duty Free, anyone?

9. Will the ASQ Hotel Provide Water?

Yes. Most hotels will provide 2-4 bottles of water per day.

10. Can I Get a Food Delivery Like a Pizza?

No outside food delivery is allowed unless a relative, who delivers it and signs a release form, cooks it at home.

11. Can I Go to 7-11 Or Any Other Local Shop?

No. You must stay in your room, or designated areas of the hotel. Some hotels do a 7-11 run a couple of times a day, but certain items aren't allowed, so you'll have to check the rules at your chosen hotel.

12. Am I Allowed to Use the Hotel Gym or Pool?

Generally speaking, after your first negative COVID test you will be allowed access to a designated walking area. The size and quality of that designated area depends on your choice of hotel.

After the second negative test you will be able to use the gym.

13. On What Days Do I Get a COVID-19 Test?

Tests are carried out by the hospital partnered with the hotel you are staying in. You will test on your arrival day, then day 9 or 10 and also day 13 or 14.

14. Will Housekeeping Clean My Room?

Yes. While the schedule may differ at some hotels, housekeeping will be provided twice a week, or once every two days after your first negative COVID-19 test. You will wait in another room, or a designated area, while your room is cleaned.

A laundry service will also be available (at your expense).

15. What Documents Do I Need to Enter Thailand?

You will need to present the following at the airline check-in counter and upon arrival in Thailand:

  1. Certificate of Entry
  2. A completed and signed declaration form
  3. Fit to Fly health certificate, issued within 72 hours of departure – this is a statement by a doctor that you are free from symptoms and fit to fly (must be separate from COVID test)
  4. COVID-19 test result, with a laboratory output indicating that COVID -19 is not detected (COVID test must be by RT-PCR method), issued within 72 hours of departure
  5. A copy of your health insurance policy with coverage including COVID-19 related treatment in Thailand in the amount no less than 100,000 USD.
  6. Copy of your confirmed booking at an ASQ hotel
  7. T.8 form

* Information courtesy of the London Thai Embassy

How Do I Get the Correct COVID-19 Insurance?

Please read this post for further details on getting your insurance from an approved company.

What Hotels Do You Recommend?

ASQ hotels have fallen in price since the program first started. Now that more hotels have come on board the higher competition has driven prices down.

Prices range from $80 – $200 a night. The hotels are mostly 4 and 5 star, because, let's be frank, staying in a 2 star for 14 days (15 nights) without being able to leave would be a lot less pleasant than a top end hotel.

Here's a rough guide of what you can expect to pay.

  • Low price: 38,000 THB ($1271.26 / £9,33.43
  • Mid price: 80,000 THB ($2676.35 / £1,965.12
  • Highest price: 200,000 THB ($6690.87 / £4,912.80

And here's my recommendations, based on ratings and reader feedback.

5 Star:

  • Grande Centre Point Hotel Terminal 21
  • Somerset Rama 9 Bangkok
  • Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel
  • The Sukosol
  • The Salil Hotel Sukhumvit 57
  • Lancaster Bangkok
  • Maduzi Hotel

4 Star:

  • Eleven Hotel Bangkok
  • Centara Watergate Pavillion Hotel Bangkok
  • Arte Hotel
  • SureStay Plus by Best Western
  • Solitaire Bangkok Sukhumvit 11
  • Radisson Suites Bangkok Sukhumvit
  • Rembrandt Hotel & Suites
  • Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Bangkok

+ All these hotels can be booked here on Agoda

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Got a question you'd like to ask? Currently staying in ASQ and want to share your experience? Please leave it in the comments section below.

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  2. JamesE says

    Day One at the Amber Hotel Sukhumvit 85. Nice suite for 35K. Food - two meals so far - has been good. Both meals have been better than resort buffet food but not as good as cooked to order. Amber is a stickler for the rules and while bagged snacks (Calbee grilled squid and seaweed, thank you lord) are fine, canned and bottled drinks are not. But fruit juice and fresh fruit are allowed in after I pass my first COVID test. Don't ask me why. WiFi's insanely fast going through Vypr's Los Angeles server - 80Mbps - and serviceable through the Thai server at about 24. Clearing in was straightforward with the caveat that your documents will be checked and checked and checked and checked. Only hitch I saw was if you didn't get a pdf with your COVID test results and print it out you had to get another test at the airport. As far as the Fit-to-Fly Health Certificate I will say only one thing: Doctor Donna.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Glad to hear you arrived in one piece. Thanks for the report, keep us updated! Who is Dr Donna? Nice to hear VYPR is on good form. I guess the way to get through this is to treat it like like an adventure, which you seem to be!
      Reply

  4. Leonard Levine says

    As an 85-year old American, who owns my condo in Jomtien and will have a vaccine no later than March, it's clear that getting a COVID-19 policy with $100,000 coverage at my age(my U.S. insurance policy only covers me for a maximum of $50,000) is impossible. Not to mention the 14-day quarantine at a minimum cost of $1,250(there are no participating hotels in Pattaya), and those in Bangkok charge from 38,000 baht - 57,000 baht. Since I only spend 3 months in Thailand each year, it's clear that I will spend my 3 months elsewhere this summer. I can only hope that beginning in 2022 I will not have to face these obstacles
    Reply

  5. JamesE says

    Having just gone through the booking process let me offer some observations. First - you will get much better accommodations if you're willing to be further out of downtown. I'm booked in a balcony suite at the Hotel Amber Sukhumvit 85 in On Nut for 35K. The balcony was the clincher for me; 5 days without fresh air would have had me breaking windows. Second - Get the Tops or 7-11 app. You can order in packaged food/drinks/supplies. Tops has an English version where 7-11 is only in Thai and uses a particularly hard-to-read font. Third - Your first day is Day 0. You will be there for 15 nights. Fourth - I've seen some reports that the first day COVID test is not fully implemented at all locations. Fifth - You need a smartphone with a local SIM. This is not part of the entry requirements but you (and everybody else) will be tracked during your entire stay. The app you'll need is MorChana available in the usual places. There's also an online way to fill out you T.8 in the AOT Airports of Thailand app. Sixth - Give yourself plenty of time. Buried beneath things like "Certificate of Entry" are many further chances to interact with the Thai Bureaucracy. That being said The Thai Consulate sent me a notification that they were informed that my flight was cancelled and that I needed a new COE. Once you get through the initial paperwork it's pretty smooth. Lastly - There are two critical resources: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ijBJOTgFJPAuWUfkPIA60iniXB9j9Ba2XHafXzA6JCw/edit#gid=1449667376 is a regularly updated list of approved semi-comm flights into Thailand. If your flight is not on the list you can't get a COE. The full list of ASQ/ASLQ hotels is at: https://thaiembdc.org/asq/. Most hotels will have quarantine YouTube vloggers talking about them. Have fun.
    Reply

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