Thailand will reopen fully within 120 days from June 16, the country's Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha has declared.

Upon reopening, foreigners who are fully vaccinated will be able to enter the country without the need for quarantine or other restrictions, he said, The Nation Thailand reported.

Prayuth also referenced a "sandbox" scheme in Phuket, which will allow vaccinated foreign tourists to fly directly into the island of Phuket, beginning from July 1, without being subjected to quarantine, as part of the larger attempt to re-open the country.

Striking an optimistic note, Prayuth added:

"Within this timeframe, I believe many other countries will also be relaxing their restrictions on the travel of their citizens and there should be a sufficient number of tourists who may be able to come to Thailand."

The announcement came a day after he apologised for delays in the Covid-19 vaccination process, the Bangkok Post reported.

Almost 50 million people should have received first shot of vaccine by the time of re-opening

In addition, the re-opening of the country is expected to take place some time in mid-October, with nearly 50 million people in Thailand expected to have received their first shot of a Covid-19 vaccine by then.

Thus far, only five million people, or 10 per cent of the stated goal, have received the first dose of their vaccine.

Prayuth elaborated that the country had since signed contracts for 105.5 million Covid-19 vaccine does, which puts them "ahead of target," The Nation Thailand reported.

He highlighted, "Based on our current plans, we will administer an average of around 10 million shots a month from July."

As such, "The time has now come for us to look forward and set a date for when we can fully open our country and start receiving visitors because reopening Thailand is key to reducing the suffering of people who have lost their source of income," he said.

He acknowledged that this also meant taking a calculated risk that will see a rise in infections, regardless of how good the country's measures are.

Businesses in tourism-related industry express joy, healthcare workers voice scepticism

The announcement has since been received with mixed reactions.

People in the healthcare industry have voiced their scepticism of the plan, given the mismanagement issues plaguing the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination, according to the Bangkok Post.

A healthcare worker has alleged that many Thais, especially those who are frontline workers, have yet to receive their initial doses.

Meanwhile, a flight attendant from Phuket has said that she is looking forward to the plan as it could revive tourism-related businesses after a "long sleep."

She said, "I have never witnessed Patong Beach this quiet since the tsunami many years ago."

Top image via Suvarnabhumi Airport Facebook