“Sandboxers” can travel to specified islands and beaches after 7 days in Phuket

[Thaiger]

A new rule for the “Phuket Sandbox” was passed allowing visitors under the reopening scheme to travel to specified islands after spending 7 days in Phuket. The rule goes into effect on August 1. The islands include Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, which are off the coast of Surat Thani in the Gulf of Thailand. The trio of islands has also reopened under the new “Samui Plus” scheme. Other islands and beaches include Koh Phi Phi, Koh Ngai and Railay in the nearby Krabi province as well as Khao Lak, Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi […]

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[Rob2010]

Interested to know whether travel means day trip only or can include overnight stays. Does this mean possible split of 14 day sandbox betwen 7 day Phuket and 7 day elsewhere on one of the stated locations?

[EdwardV]

Sure sounds like it. I’ll still wait but it is a move to open up. 

[Stardust]

While the government doomed Thailand and not even resign, how shameless is it still to do this Sandbox kindergarden.

[TobyAndrews]

I was wondering. They keep announcing arrivals, but what about departures. Will the ones that have completed the 14 days not be moving on to the mainland now?

By now there might be more leaving Phuket than arriving . . .

[Martin]

No doubt anyone making a trip to one of these islands will follow a 'sealed' route and use 'approved' transport and hotels, meaning it's going to cost you a fortune compared to previously. And lets throw in a few more PCR tests while we're at it as that'll be another few thousand baht we can relieve tourists of. 

I can't help but think that even when covid subsides and the world has returned to some normality, Thailand will keep some of the harsh tourist regulations being implemented now with the sole thought of squeezing (lots of) money from tourists. 

But nothing lasts forever and i think Thailand will find the salad days of Thai tourism are gone, and it will have to adapt accordingly. 

[AussieBob]

Seems very incongruous to me. On one hand they are locking the country down more and more, and more and more people are testing covid positive and dying in hospitals, and yet they are opening up Phuket and the Islands more.  Something somewhere is gonna break. 

[Bobalong]

34 minutes ago, TobyAndrews said:

I was wondering. They keep announcing arrivals, but what about departures. Will the ones that have completed the 14 days not be moving on to the mainland now?

By now there might be more leaving Phuket than arriving . . .

Very true. Hundreds are being turned away every day.

If the object of the exercise is to boost tourism safely, why are the authorities being so strict with new arrivals by road and sea? Because the medical experts clearly state that even the fully vaccinated can still catch the virus and pass it on to other vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

 

[Martin]

53 minutes ago, TobyAndrews said:

I was wondering. They keep announcing arrivals, but what about departures. Will the ones that have completed the 14 days not be moving on to the mainland now?

By now there might be more leaving Phuket than arriving . . .

I don't know if it was just a proposal or if it is actually how Phuket are counting volumes, but i recall reading an article a few weeks ago where Phuket officials were going to count 'person visits' to Phuket rather than tourists.  

So a delivery driver spending maybe an hour on Phuket would be counted as an arrival. 

That might explain why departures aren't being shown, as you're right, departures would probably be outnumbering arrivals by now. 

[chouse]

Hi all, do you have to stay in the 1 single accommodation in Phuket for the first initial 7 days or can you move around? Same goes for once in Krabi etc? Thanks in advance