Refinements to the Sandbox as the countdown continues to Thailand’s reopening

[Thaiger]

Nearing the 10 day countdown to the Phuket sandbox and it couldn’t be a more important milestone for Thailand’s battered tourist industry. The official re-opening to world travellers and tourists to the tropical island in southern Thailand is a vital pilot program for the rest of the country. This week the PM proclaimed that all of Thailand will be open again in 120 days (which puts the date mid-October from his announcement). That statement was tempered later by the caveats that the reopening probably won’t be nation-wide and provinces re-opening to tourists would have to meet the 70% resident vaccination […]

The post Refinements to the Sandbox as the countdown continues to Thailand’s reopening appeared first on Thaiger News.

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[THETRUTH]

Quote

This week’s announcement that the Sandbox wouldn’t apply to Thais, long-term residents or diplomats has been scrapped. The Sandbox is available to ALL travellers, as long as they comply with the regulations and arrival procedures.

This is bullshit. The infographic at the bottom of the article STILL states that people who live in Thailand / arrive from within Thailand 1) do not need vaccination 2) do not need to stay in Phuket for 14 days. That graphic is dated for Saturday.

https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/202095018_354170212735915_4915691479826609360_n.jpg

[King Cotton]

19 minutes ago, THETRUTH said:

This is bullshit.

Bullshit, maybe, but with announcements that would appear to have 'been scrapped' and you drawing attention to Sat's graphic, it looks like confusion continues to reign regarding the 'sandbox' . . . I now hate the sound and look of that forlorn term!

 

Hello THETRUTH and welcome to Thaiger Talk

Please feel free to tell us a bit about yourself in 'Introductions'. It's good to pick-up on those sometimes differing regional or geographical perspectives.

And check-out the Guidelines, too, when you get a free minute. They're there to help us all enjoy our time here.

Happy posting

King Cotton

[AlexPTY]

46 minutes ago, THETRUTH said:

This is bullshit. The infographic at the bottom of the article STILL states that people who live in Thailand / arrive from within Thailand 1) do not need vaccination 2) do not need to stay in Phuket for 14 days. That graphic is dated for Saturday.

https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/202095018_354170212735915_4915691479826609360_n.jpg

sorry, why i cannot add links, but some members could?

[Vwwv]

No way anyone's coming to the sandbox with all those added rules and closed stores. I am fully vaccinated and will not do multiple covid tests again and pay higher rates for hotels or quarentine again. I'm headed to europe to spend my money for 3 months. Thailand govt has mismanaged this entire thing and is just burning any chance of tourism for the future.

[Poolie]

Yes, well goodbye, have a good time. Unfortunately almost 7000 people disagree with you if the BP is to be believed. Not bad considering the circumstances.

[KaptainRob]

8 minutes ago, AlexPTY said:

sorry, why i cannot add links, but some members could?

That was an internal LINK, or back link to our Parent.

As for LINKS in general, the powers that be have asked for restraint with external LINKS and photo hosting at this point in time.  More than that I cannot answer.  Some may slip thru the system.

[KaptainRob]

41 minutes ago, King Cotton said:

confusion continues to reign regarding the 'sandbox' . . . I now hate the sound and look of that forlorn term!

Best we refer to it as sandtrap, now eh?  :-)

[THETRUTH]

51 minutes ago, King Cotton said:

Bullshit, maybe, but with announcements that would appear to have 'been scrapped' and you drawing attention to Sat's graphic, it looks like confusion continues to reign regarding the 'sandbox' . . . I now hate the sound and look of that forlorn term!

No, the confusion reigns from your reporting. You are claiming something has been scrapped and then debunk your own clain by posting a semi-official infographic that states the complete opposite.

[King Cotton]

24 minutes ago, Vwwv said:

I am fully vaccinated and will not do multiple covid tests again and pay higher rates for hotels or quarentine again.

Fair comment and there'll be thousands of others feeling just the same as you . . . 'sandbox' looking leaky I'd say.

Hell, Vwwv and welcome to Thaiger Talk

Please feel free to tell us a bit about yourself in 'Introductions'. It's good to pick-up on those sometimes differing regional or geographical perspectives.

And check-out the Guidelines, too, when you get a free minute. They're there to help us all enjoy our time here.

Happy posting

King Cotton

[321BOOM]

Business as usual in LOScam.

Changes to an announcement are made on short notice. Decisions made by one government agency are revoked or contradicted by another as everybody likes to talk BS before consulting with others.

As said previously NO genuine tourist will visit LOScam under this circumstances as restrictions and rules applied are ridiculous, bars and other venues remain - as it stands now - closed. Additionally there is rainy season in LOScam so the majority of potential holiday makers will anyway visit places in Europe where the weather is better these days and NO stupid rules like for example mask wearing in public apply anymore.

The tourism industry in LOScam is doomed for at least the next 2 years. Customers will move elsewhere and this rightly so.

 

[triplebogey]

What documents will be used to verify vaccination? Is it a standard form for every country? or will any forgery do?

 

Just curious

[AlexPTY]

1 hour ago, KaptainRob said:

That was an internal LINK, or back link to our Parent.

As for LINKS in general, the powers that be have asked for restraint with external LINKS and photo hosting at this point in time.  More than that I cannot answer.  Some may slip thru the system.

i am sure there might be a better way to add images to the posts as you use a BuddyPress, rather than allow links to the  WordPress uploads directory, cause it's could be a major security problem for the entire website. Sorry to hijack a thread

[Luigi]

600,000 in 3 months, 6,666 per day equal to about 33 flights per day arriving in Phuket.  So every day at the airport, 6,666 COVID tests will be carried out and the tourist must stay in the hotel until he receives the results.  So quarantine ensured.  Pure madness

[Stephen]

What does SHA stand for

[King Cotton]

7 hours ago, triplebogey said:

What documents will be used to verify vaccination? Is it a standard form for every country? or will any forgery do?

Just curious

Heard of Google?

Hello, triplebogey but you did ask for that, since 'vaccine certification' will surely open many sites with info relating to most countries on good old Mr G

Welcome to Thaiger Talk and please feel free to tell us a bit about yourself in 'Introductions'. It's good to pick-up on those sometimes differing regional or geographical perspectives.

And check-out the Guidelines, too, when you get a free minute. They're there to help us all enjoy our time here.

Happy posting

King Cotton

[AussieBob]

12 minutes ago, Stephen said:

What does SHA stand for

Some say it is short for SHAm.  Others say it means SHAmbolic.  The Thai Government says it means the Amazing  Thailand Safety & Health Administration Standard Certification for Hotels - those who have 70% of their staff vaccinated - or ATSHASC for short.  If you Google that term you will be given:  'AGHAST:- struck with overwhelming shock or amazement; filled with sudden fright or horror'  - sounds about right to me.

 

[King Cotton]

50 minutes ago, AlexPTY said:

there might be a better way to add images to the posts

Fair point, Alex, but why not let's all try to do without images in our chatting and debating?

I know they say a picture can paint a thousand words but I like to try the opposite and make a few dozen words paint a picture. Just a thought . . . especially with you being so good with words!

[Martin]

 

I would love to see things return to how they were a couple of years ago in Thailand when you just needed an air ticket and some spending money to have an enjoyable break. But the Thai tourism industry is finished till such time as the crazy rules are dumped. Most people will accept sensible regulation such as wearing a mask in a crowded market but no-one is going to tolerate multiple, costly Covid tests, GPS wristbands, smartphone tracking, facial recognition cameras to catch foreign ‘offenders’ trying to escape Phuket and taking them into custody. And punishments! Plus no bars and entertainments open and now apparently an Emergency Operations Centre to monitor all tourist movements on a daily basis. Not to mention the constant fear of being told you have tested positive and getting carted off to a detention camp for 2 weeks and perhaps separated from your family when a long way from home. And today's addition of a hotel letter confirming your stay. Do the officials who think this stuff up really think this constitutes a holiday?

You will barely have collected your luggage off the conveyor belt at Phuket airport and the systematic emptying of your wallet will begin – a Covid test costing a few thousand baht while you are still at the airport, despite you having had one a day earlier in your home country to enable you to fly.  And forcing you to take specific vans/cars ensures you are hostage to whatever price they want to charge. Whether it is or not, the perception is of a naked money grab. And perceptions matter.

I feel for those Thai people whose livelihoods have been broken by this pandemic, but there is no prospect of a recovery of the Thai tourism industry until potential holidaymakers are welcomed, and not treated like criminals and idiots – there are plenty of other countries with nice beaches and good food to go to and with sensible regulations that are making the best of a bad situation. Hopefully Thailand will realise this before it’s too late and it passes the point where a recovery becomes impossible. A tourist wants to relax and enjoy themselves for a few weeks, that’s the whole point of a holiday.

 

[Luigi]

41 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Che cosa significa SHA?

Safety and Health Administration 

[EdwardV]

The 600K is mostly Thai domestic tourists, they only expect 129K in foreign tourists over a 3 month span. Are they still requiring a 72 hour PCR test prior to “arrival”? Does Thailand have any idea how hard that is to do with an international flight? 

[ozvenision]

3 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

Best we refer to it as sandtrap, now eh?  :-)

I think best we refer to it as quicksand !

[Ted]

I am interested in finding out how they plan to keep track of everyone [in October] when the Sandbox is spreading throughout Thailand.

Since it is easy to throw away a phone, turn off the tracking, etc. so phone tracking wont be able to do the job, as intended. And I have a hard time believing any significant numbers of tourists being ok with wearing a tracking wristband. But I guess this is just the Thai govt culture of sharing another stupid idea with the public.

[SmukkePeter]

4 hours ago, Vwwv said:

No way anyone's coming to the sandbox with all those added rules and closed stores. I am fully vaccinated and will not do multiple covid tests again and pay higher rates for hotels or quarentine again. I'm headed to europe to spend my money for 3 months. Thailand govt has mismanaged this entire thing and is just burning any chance of tourism for the future.

Correct.

[PhayakPeter]

Anyone who believes this will attract tourists are as big a dreamers as the Thai government.