Month: July 2021

The Phuket authorities have ordered that the entire island be sealed off, with travelers from other provinces not allowed to enter Phuket, starting on August 3rd.

Governor Narong Woonsiew issued an order outlining the stiffer travel restrictions on Phuket. People from outside the province are prohibited from travelling to Phuket, with the exception of those transporting essential goods, students and emergency medical services. Those who are exempt are still required to be fully vaccinated and have proof of such to show at the entry checkpoint.

Meanwhile, Department of Disease Control (DDC) Director-General Dr. Kajornsak Kaewjaras said the department will monitor the COVID-19 situation on Phuket for another two weeks, to decide whether to keep the Phuket “sandbox” scheme running.

He said Phuket has done a good job in controlling COVID-19 transmission as, of the 12,395 foreigners visiting the island province, 30 infected people have been identified and quarantined. Local tourism-related businesses have also complied with containment measures.

Phuket Governor insists the Phuket Sandbox scheme will continue amid rising COVID-19 new cases, while the Tourism Authority says, hotel reservations have slowed down.

Narong Woonciew, Phuket Governor insists the Phuket Sandbox, which welcomes fully vaccinated tourists without a 14 day mandatory quarantine, will continue. He reassured the public that Phuket is able to control the virus.

As for the number of cases, as of today, there are reportedly 28 new cases, according to Mr. Narong, due to numerous factors, such as proactive testing, and bringing infected locals back for treatment, taking daily cases to more than 20 per day.

As for entering Phuket, measures are now more intense. A test certificate and vaccination details must be presented, thereby reducing the chance of new infections.

The cancellation of the Phuket Sandbox could occur in the event of

• 90 new infections per week

• The virus spreads in three districts and over six sub-districts, with more than three independent clusters,

• 80% occupancy rate of beds in hospitals

• Uncontrollable and widespread mutant infection.

Meanwhile, hotel reservations for August have slowed down, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. There were 193,168 nightly hotel reservations in July, with 86,211 nights in August, and 6,423 nights in September.

From 1st-27th July, over 12,000 travelers booked and came to Phuket already.