Thai Cabinet officially approves the Phuket Sandbox and three islands in Surat Thani to reopen to vaccinated foreign tourists starting next month

National –

The Thai Cabinet this afternoon, June 22nd, officially approved the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s proposal to reopen Phuket on July 1st under the “Phuket Sandbox” project and three islands in Surat Thani, including Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Tao, on July 15th.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said after the cabinet committee meeting that prior to the reopening, Phuket’s provincial reopening control center would also be established to monitor arrivals and departures of all vaccinated foreign tourists on the island.

Under the “Phuket Sandbox”, fully vaccinated foreign travelers from low-to-medium-risk countries are welcomed to pay a visit to the island without quarantine. Upon arrival, they must present a certificate of Covid-19 vaccination, an RT-PCR test with negative results issued within 72 hours, and other related documents. All arrivals are required to have Covid-19 tests three times on the first, the sixth, and the twelfth days of arrival. They are allowed to travel to other provinces nationwide after 14 days if they tested negative.

Tourists have to install and check-in via the “Mor Chana” tracking application as a part of preventive measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. They must present their Covid-19 results being tested on the island along with other mandatory documents when traveling.

A similar “Sandbox” project will be adapted in the reopening of the three islands in Surat Thani. Tourism personnel will also monitor foreign tourists in their accommodation and on sealed routes during their stay All entry checkpoints at airports and piers will be installed to screen tourists as they enter and depart the islands.

For Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Tao, visitors must stay inside their accommodation for the first three days before then being allowed to travel around Koh Samui in the designated areas during their fourth and seventh days.

After that, they will be able to travel without quarantine between the three islands for two weeks before they will be allowed to travel to other provinces in Thailand, according to the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) report last week.

The order is expected to be published in the Royal Thai Gazzette and become legally official now that the cabinet has approved it soon, which is mainly a formality. More information on specific procedures and what countries are medium to low-risk designations will be released to embassies and the public “soon” Thai government officials added.

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Nop Meechukhun
National News Writer at The Pattaya News from September 2020 to October 2022. Born and raised in Bangkok, Nop enjoys telling stories of her hometown through her words and pictures. Her educational experience in the United States and her passion for journalism have shaped her genuine interests in society, politics, education, culture, and art.