“Phuket Sandbox” still on, provincial restrictions set after uptick in Covid-19

[Thaiger]

The “Phuket Sandbox” is still on, but the uptick in coronavirus infections pose a threat to the tourism experiment. Before the July 1 reopening, the government said it would reconsider the travel scheme if cases exceeded 90 Covid-19 infections. Over the past week, the island reported 125 new infections. With the weekly case count exceeding the government’s threshold, new restrictions have been imposed and will be in place until at least August 2. For the next week, the shopping centres Central Festival and Central Floresta are closed for “cleaning purposes.” Gatherings of more than 100 people are prohibited and people […]

The post “Phuket Sandbox” still on, provincial restrictions set after uptick in Covid-19 appeared first on Thaiger News.

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[Mopi]

The Sandbox scheme could still operate assuming that Phuket residents are well vaccinated (70%+) with a delta resistant vaccine. Open up like the UK, remove local restrictions and cross fingers. Infection rates are far higher with locals so there is really no need to worry about fully vaccinated and PCR tested tourists. In this model it's the tourists who are taking the risk. In the unlikely event a tourist requires hospitalisation the vastly inflated charges will help offset cases of locals who cannot afford a private hospital.

[Stonker]

2 hours ago, Thaiger said:

70% of the population in Phuket has been vaccinated against the virus.

No they haven't.

 

70% of the target population in Phuket may well have been, but the target population is at best only 75% of the real population, including those under 18 and transient workers.

 

70% of that 75% is only just over 50%, and that's assuming that they were all vaccinated with no-one opting out, which is unlikely.

[Malc-Thai]

Wait until they see the 40 cases just reported today . that will mess up their scores !  There is no way they will lose face and stop this sandbox.  they've already changed the rules on 3 clusters.. 6 villages with infections in 3 tambons .. and over 90 in a rolling week.. 

[vlad]

Off course they won't close the Sandbox to much losing face and the old we know what we're doing attitude, plus keep the Mug's Err Tourists here so we can squeeze a few thousand baht out of them. Tell them there test's came back Poss so we can screw them on Hospital fees and hotels we make them go to. Knowing full well the one's spreading the infection can't be touched. 

Edited July 27, 2021 by vlad

[Soidog]

5 hours ago, whitesnake said:

How to lose "face" in one easy, highly predictable situation! YOUR SCHEME HAS FAILED....A COMPLETE DISASTER and, actually something that I think has done more harm than good. It's got the 'hopes' up of the islanders and now you are shedding total disappointment! A bit like a game show where you show the losers what they could have one.   

[Soidog]

This is looking less and less like an option to return to Thailand any time soon. Although 2 weeks in a Bangkok hotel isn’t going to be fun, it’s looking a safer bet not to get stuck on the island for weeks on end and with each passing day the chance of being infected by a local increases. At least in ASQ you are away from people. Do your time and then multiple options to get back to where you need to be. 

[JamesE]

2 minutes ago, Soidog said:

This is looking less and less like an option to return to Thailand any time soon. Although 2 weeks in a Bangkok hotel isn’t going to be fun, it’s looking a safer bet not to get stuck on the island for weeks on end and with each passing day the chance of being infected by a local increases. At least in ASQ you are away from people. Do your time and then multiple options to get back to where you need to be. 

This is my foundational logic. But, I'm hearing good things about the Sandbox from people who are in or recently finished. I'm watching as things develop over the next month or so at which time I'll have to pick a lane.

[EdwardV]

Makes you wonder what the next tightening down of the restrictions will be and how soon they will come. The risk vs reward of travel to Thailand at the current time was already on the wrong side of the balance beam. It's only getting more lopsided as time goes by. The real question travelers need to ask is just how bad will it be when I arrive. Enter one day and find yourself on full lockdown the next?

[BIGGLES]

So the governor reckons 70% of Phuket residents are fully vaccinated. Well, even if that was true, its still no good, as at best, they had Sinovac. This vaccine is about as much use as an ash tray on a motorcycle against the Delta variant, even with two shots. Most have only had one shot. Might aswell give them tap water!

The fully vaccinated tourists are not the problem, the indigenous population is.

The management of the Sandbox has not been clever either. Most of the flights into Phuket for example, in the main, originated in Bangkok, bringing God knows what into the island. Road restrictions, very lax.

This Sandbox has brought next to no one. 11,000 "tourists" approximately, that will do a lot for the local econony I don't think. The place is all closed up, and the authorities are talking about imposing more restrictions to halt the spread of home grown Covid cases and the 120 "tourist" weekly infections, that's 30 more in a week, which they stated would bring a stop to the Sandbox.

This thing is all but finished, as is Thai tourism for the foreseeable future.

[Soidog]

1 hour ago, JamesE said:

This is my foundational logic. But, I'm hearing good things about the Sandbox from people who are in or recently finished. I'm watching as things develop over the next month or so at which time I'll have to pick a lane.

Ok, thanks for the feedback JamesE. It’s hard to judge what it’s like on the ground so to speak. All we hear about I’d closures, problems and changes to rules. More feedback from real people is helpful. I don’t know of anyone based in Phuket so feedback is good. 

[Soidog]

1 hour ago, EdwardV said:

Makes you wonder what the next tightening down of the restrictions will be and how soon they will come. The risk vs reward of travel to Thailand at the current time was already on the wrong side of the balance beam. It's only getting more lopsided as time goes by. The real question travelers need to ask is just how bad will it be when I arrive. Enter one day and find yourself on full lockdown the next?

Exactly EdwardV. If it was 7 days quarantine on the island, you could hopefully get through it without too much change. But 14 nights (15 days) is a long time in Thai logic ! 

[Soidog]

58 minutes ago, BIGGLES said:

So the governor reckons 70% of Phuket residents are fully vaccinated. Well, even if that was true, its still no good, as at best, they had Sinovac. This vaccine is about as much use as an ash tray on a motorcycle against the Delta variant, even with two shots. Most have only had one shot. Might aswell give them tap water!

The fully vaccinated tourists are not the problem, the indigenous population is.

The management of the Sandbox has not been clever either. Most of the flights into Phuket for example, in the main, originated in Bangkok, bringing God knows what into the island. Road restrictions, very lax.

This Sandbox has brought next to no one. 11,000 "tourists" approximately, that will do a lot for the local econony I don't think. The place is all closed up, and the authorities are talking about imposing more restrictions to halt the spread of home grown Covid cases and the 120 "tourist" weekly infections, that's 30 more in a week, which they stated would bring a stop to the Sandbox.

This thing is all but finished, as is Thai tourism for the foreseeable future.

I have to agree that as a tourism effort it was doomed from the start. As a way of an expat like me getting back without staying in a hotel room full time looked attractive. As my post said, I’m having serioussecond thoughts about even that. Looking to make the trip in early September, so a couple more weeks before I start to get plans in place and start jumping through the hoops like a performing seal. No way on Earth would I be doing any of this as a tourist, as I suspect 100% of arrivals would agree. I do not believe a single person who has arrived to date is a genuine tourist. Not one.

[Stonker]

3 hours ago, vlad said:

 Tell them there test's came back Poss so we can screw them on Hospital fees and hotels we make them go to.

I've asked others before to explain how this supposed scam with false positives could work, but none have been able to.

The insurers are liable for the exorbitant private hospital fees. Do you think they're happy to be "screwed"?

The scam would have to be a conspiracy involving all the private hospitals and all the testing facilities, as after testing positive it's up to the insurers which hospital they go to.  Are you suggesting one hospital pays another, and they all pay the testers?

... and are you suggesting that the ASQ hotels pay the sandbox hotels who lose their customers and have to refund them?

It sounds credible if you don't think about it, but it isn't actually feasible.

3 hours ago, vlad said:

Knowing full well the one's spreading the infection can't be touched. 

???  How do you work that out? Why can those spreading the infection, whoever they are, not be touched?

 

If testing positive, don't they get quarantined in a field hospital or hospitalised in just the same way as anyone else, anywhere else?

 

... and if they're a contact, don't they have to self-quarantine just like anyone else, anywhere else?

[AlexPTY]

12 hours ago, Thaiger said:

Before the July 1 reopening, the government said it would reconsider the travel scheme if cases exceeded 90 Covid-19 infections.

i bet, they never even though it might happen. reality bites, but what bites more is not sticking to the plan or the promises 

[SoundOfMusic999]

Rapid Antigen Tests are not available at the Tachachai checkpoint for those wanting to enter Phuket.