Phuket governer reviews rules, new details for July 1 arrivals

[Thaiger]

In announcing what is expected for the first arrivals in the Phuket Sandbox plan on July 1, Governor Narong Woonsew mostly reconfirmed the rules set out, though a few details and additions came to light. Thailand will welcome back international travellers with the first international flights arriving next Friday. The first arrivals to Phuket will be fully vaccinated Europeans from low- and medium-risk countries. They will fly on Thai Airways flights from London, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Paris, and Zurich on July 1. As has been established during the constant evolution of the Phuket Sandbox reopening rules, all travellers must be fully […]

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[EdwardV]

"and quarantining in their hotel room until a negative result is returned." - This could easily turn into a 2-3 day quarantine in and of itself. There is no mentioned if you must quarantine in your room for test two or three? 

[Paco]

Spending all this time on this for a few tourist arriving, better spend the time and money on getting your own people vaccinated... Thailand slowly in it and covering things up when people die of a vaccine because that is the plain true.. FED UP

[Stonker]

Left and right hands seem to have different ideas.

 

Is it "low risk" countries, as the CCSA announced earlier, or  "low and medium risk" as the Phuket governor has now announced?

 

And if "the Covid-19 testing for arriving flight passengers would be enforced for all arrivals to Phuket overland and by sea as well" then how will that affect delivery drivers and returning workers who may not have been vaccinated and children under 18 who can't be vaccinated and whose parents may not have been?

It's simply not physically possible to apply the same tests - even overlooking who pays for them.

[BIGGLES]

Why on earth would you put yourself through this?

They already require you to have been fully vaccinated.

They require you to have had a negative PCR test 72 hours before departure/arrival.

 After taking these precautions, what happens if you test positive? How do we know if it is not a false positive? Will you be taken off to some field hospital, (tent on the outskirts of a swamp)? How  much is this going to cost $ 100,000?

Then what happens if they reach their low target of 90 new infections (close the whole place down again)?

Even if you're desperate enough to go through all this, for what?

The place looked better after the 2004 Tsunami. Tropical Paradise, its a dump!

They really need to get the infrastructure cleaned up and in tip top condition. Why would travel 6000 miles (20 hours or so), spend a huge amount of time and effort to be in a dump, surrounded by people who, at best, have had some Mickey Mouse vaccine. They need to remember that they live in a third world country and we don't.  Ergo, we are better vaccinated than they will ever be, unfair I know, but hey hoe!

Nuts!

Completely nuts to subject ourselves to this!

 

[Stonker]

Sorry, @Thaiger, but it's not true that "70% of Phuket residents have been vaccinated".

70% of Phuket residents have NOT been vaccinated.

70% of the "target" residents / population have had one dose of vaccine, and half of those have had two doses, so that's about 50% and 25% of the residents.

That's very different.

 

[Martin]

The crucial information is being left unsaid and no one is going to risk their family and loved ones to travel to such an uncertain fate. What happens if you or one of your family tests positive? Will everyone entering Phuket have to go through the same procedures...delivery drivers, coach drivers, goods vehicle drivers?  If not then the whole thing is a covid cluster waiting to happen.  

[EdwardV]

"After the 2 week arrival period, those wishing to travel to other parts of Thailand would be tested again before exiting." - Wait does that mean a 5th test? First is a pre flight test, second upon arrival, third at day 6 or 7, fourth at day 12 or 13, and a fifth after your 14 night stay and before you will be allowed to leave the island? In effect day 15 or later. Clearly someone in Thailand is making money on testing.  

[Jimmy]

Can someone please post a link to the list of LOW RISK COUNTRIES?

Thank you

[Vwwv]

5 tests? What do those cost in phuket? Could see one maybe 2 but 5.GTFO Thailand. Are any if the hotels there owned by govt members as well? looks like it's gonna have about as much response as that stupid STV plan they tried last time. How many showed up for that after all. About 150 I recall.

[Gyldholm]

Funny that Thai airways fly from copenhagen to Phuket, when Denmark is not on the low-risk country list???

[TerryC]

1 hour ago, EdwardV said:

Clearly someone in Thailand is making money on testing.  

A lot of money if they manage to get many tourists . Ireland is an expensive country that I live in. Yet the PCR test pre travel IS €70... much cheaper that the proposed charge for the test in Phuket.. where the admin costs are far less that those in Ireland ... it's a scam .. 

[Adam]

After reading the updated requirements put in place by the Thai government regarding tourists arriving July 1 my response is “Good Luck” for they will need it. Personally I don’t see many if any Americans or Canadians willing to travel 10,000 miles for the “pleasure” of visiting Phuket. Quite honestly the Caribbean islands as well as Central & South America offer value for money with less travel time and less restrictions. Thailand may see North Americans in late 2022 at the earliest. 

[Bonanzo]

Up to now nobody has been able to register with the embassies for this scheme.

Unless they get their finger out and announce the scheme on the entrythailand website, there will be absolutely nobody arriving on 1st July

[Pat]

So there will be 5 PCR Tests!?! Bangkok Hospital charges 3.800 THB for one, this means 19.000 THB.

[EdwardV]

2 minutes ago, Tjampman said:

No, Thailand requires 3, what is mentioned in this thread is in addition to those you need one prior arriving, and you might need one before you go back home.

 

Yes and no. Yes the first one isn't in Thailand. However per the quote: "After the 2 week arrival period, those wishing to travel to other parts of Thailand would be tested again before exiting." Isn't that an additional test for those who wish to leave Phuket but stay in Thailand? Since it's after the 14th night, and after the 3 required Thai tests, isn't it an additional test? A 5th overall?  Honestly it's kinda confusing. However, you do bring up a good point.  Some people who enter with the Phuket program and travel around Thailand might actually require a further test in order to return home. Lucky them.  

[gordo2613]

5 hours ago, Jimmy said:

Can someone please post a link to the list of LOW RISK COUNTRIES?

Thank you

low risk countries are a joke, basically Aust, UK Europe and US 

[gordo2613]

ENTRY on July 1 from low risk countries my arse, the UK is in the same low risk as Australia, yesterday 11,600 covid cases UK, in Australia 10. Many European countries that have people that traditionally come to LOS are in the 000's every day, Thai govt are thinking, they should just come clean and say the Chinese vaccine has low protection but we want to open the country so people can earn a living and not commit suicide, the regular Thai people as suffering in their millions, its a damn shame 

[JamesE]

9 minutes ago, gordo2613 said:

low risk countries are a joke, basically Aust, UK Europe and US 

UK, most of Europe, and the US are medium-risk according toe the chart (https://ddc.moph.go.th/uploads/ckeditor2//files/ประเทศเสี่ยง รอบ 16 มิย 64.pdf). That's why everybody's hair is on fire. One day it's low and medium and suddenly it's low only.

[russelwilliams1]

You have not stated who pays for the tests? Do we pay or the Thai government? If we pay then how much is each test?

Regards 

Russel Williams 

[Jackson]

I’m happy to see people are finally openly questioning what will be the procedure if one receives a positive result on a covid test. Many articles state what will happen when a negative result is encountered but then never continue onto the procedure of what happens when a positive result is encountered. One can assume a positive result would land you in a hospital, but for how long? Will you be there for 14 days? Will you be tested daily and released immediately upon a negative result? This a key gating issue that the government really should address.

[Claymore]

“We”  need put this all into perspective.

1) Lots of  people would be feeling insecure in relation to there employment and may not wish to take holidays 

2) Disposable income is now more important than even and there may not be many who wish to spen on holidays 

3) The potential risk of getting “stuck’ in Thailand is not unrealistic 

4) Once in Thailand what exactly is there to do, what will be open what will be closed 

5) upon returning to ones home country, there will be a good chance 2 weeks isolation will be required, as such this means in most cases where people get 4 weeks of holidays per year, 50% of which will be in isolation.

6) when or if this all goes bad, the resulting fallout will be significant.

I actually can not see this being a success, however l am most probably wrong.

 

Cheers

[AlexPTY]

in the meantime all flights to Phuket today, June 24th, are cancelled, i fonder for how long the airlines will cope with this bull$#%t?

[bushav8r]

Can you arrive from medium risk countries?  Some news I have read clearly states that people will only be allowed into the sandbox from low risk countries.

[bushav8r]

32 minutes ago, russelwilliams1 said:

You have not stated who pays for the tests? Do we pay or the Thai government? If we pay then how much is each test?

Regards 

Russel Williams 

I have read that we will pay for these tests.  Various prices have quoted online.  I have not been able to verify any prices.  I don't think the  tests will be cheap, but it won't be a deal breaker.