The rules for Phuket

[reader]

From The Thai Enquirer

Government releases guideline for Phuket sandbox

The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) released, on Friday, a step-by-step guide for entering and exiting the “Phuket Sandbox” which will begin on July 1.

These regulations will also apply to Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao when they are reopened.

Before arriving:

• Must be coming from a country with a low to medium risk as per the Ministry of Public Health.
• Fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac, and Sinopharm Covid vaccines (no less than 14 days earlier, but no more than one year) and has a Vaccine Certificate to prove it.
• Must has a COVID Free certificate to prove that you have tested negative for Covid no more than 72 hours before arriving
• Obtain a Certificate of Entry (COE) which could be acquired online via www.entrythailand.go.th

• Upon arrival:

• Download the Mor Chana tracing application
• Picked up by designated vehicles and to be dropped off at an accommodation that is certified with the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) Plus certification (Alternative Local Quarantine (ALQ) for Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao)
• Be tested for Covid at the accommodation or designated venues  
• If tested negative, you can roam around Phuket.
• For Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, you can roam around the accommodation and its facilities only
• Must stay in Phuket for 14 days before you can travel to other provinces.
• For Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, visitors must stay inside the accommodation’s area for three days before they can go around to designated routes and areas on the islands. After seven days, they will be able to travel without quarantine between the three islands and Mu Ko Thale Tai.
• Visitors will be tested again on day six or seven and day 12 or 13. The days to be tested could be changed to be in accordance with the CCSA’s regulation at the time.
• Visitors must strictly follow Covid-prevention guidelines including social distancing, mask wearing and handwashing.

• Before leaving:

• If visitors are going to other provinces, they must have evidence that they have stayed at a SHA+ accommodation for at least 14 days.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/28759/government-releases-guideline-for-phuket-sandbox/

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From The Thaiger

Expats in Phuket without a work permit can register for a Covid-19 vaccine

Expats living in Phuket, who do not have a work permit, can now register for a Covid-19 vaccine. Under the local vaccine registration website, www.phuket.win, there are now links for foreigners with work permits and foreigners without work permits to apply for a vaccine. Of course, with the ever-faulty websites run by the Thai government, we had to give it a try and the links work, both on a computer and on a smartphone.

For expats outside of Phuket, you might have to wait. Appointments are full for foreign residents, according to the vaccine registration website ThailandIntervac.com, which is run by the Department of Disease Control. Earlier this week, the website had a data leak due to a “temporary glitch” while the site was undergoing “urgent” maintenance to keep up with the high demand for a vaccine appointment. Other people’s names, passport numbers and locations would appear under “user information” when people tried to get in the queue for an appointment.

https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/expats-in-phuket-without-a-work-permit-can-register-for-a-covid-19-vaccine

 

[Guest]

Think I could do that.

#1  UK NHS has options of a paper vaccination certificate or a digital version.    I just ordered the paper version to be in good time.   To get the digital version, there is all sorts of pfaffing about, with scanning passport, uploading videos of yourself etc.

#2  The certified accommodation requirement seems unnecessary and may be counter productive if it concentrates visitors into fewer hotels.     I'll have a look at the list nearer the time. 

 

[Vessey]

I am really keen to get back, but everything still looking too fluid and unpredictable to give me the confidence to try and book anything.

That said I am obviously interested in how this Phuket 'sandbox' works as there is talk (?) of then extending it into other areas including Pattaya by September,

One might even hope that at least some of the entry requirements might be eased by then as well.

So it looks possible that an October visit is possible; possibly!

[spoon]

Looks like no requirement for covid insurance?

[Guest]

32 minutes ago, spoon said:

Looks like no requirement for covid insurance?

The covid insurance was required to get the COE and I believe it's still required to get the COE.     So this insurance scam appears to still be running. 

Their payout ratio was something like 2.5% per month.   I imagine most policies would be taken out for 1 or 3 months for tourists, so this is not a competitive market.   

[spoon]

1 hour ago, z909 said:

The covid insurance was required to get the COE and I believe it's still required to get the COE.     So this insurance scam appears to still be running. 

Their payout ratio was something like 2.5% per month.   I imagine most policies would be taken out for 1 or 3 months for tourists, so this is not a competitive market.   

So one must take the insurance with the thai gov? Most insurance here already include covid-19 as part of coverage, so if your annual limit is above usd100k, it fits the criteria. 

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, spoon said:

So one must take the insurance with the thai gov? Most insurance here already include covid-19 as part of coverage, so if your annual limit is above usd100k, it fits the criteria. 

When I went, you could get the insurance wherever you liked, as long as they specified covid 19 was covered and the cover was over $100k, in English.    However, there were a very limited range of "known" options.   One on a website run by the Thai insurance industry association (cartel?),   an AXA Thailand policy (which I took), one with a French company that had slightly dodgy wording and a German company.   Most of the British insurers did not offer cover, or had weasel words in the terms & conditions which made the cover invalid.  

By any simple calculation, the profit margins were likely to be huge compared with normal insurance industry profits.    That was confirmed when they mentioned payout rates in the Bangkok Post.

 

To be honest, I haven't checked recently, so should have written "this wasn't a competitive market" in the past tense.    Perhaps it's better now, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[spoon]

Thanks. I guess i need to get it in writing that my insurance does cover covid. It does have worldwide coverage as long as im not staying more than 90 consecutive days overseas, and the company also have thailand presence. 

[reader]

From Bangkok Post

Phuket still set to open to foreign tourists

The planned reopening of Phuket and Surat Thani provinces remains intact despite more than 4,000 new Covid-19 cases and 35 deaths nationwide on Monday, according to the government's senior epidemic spokesman.

Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Tuesday that  the reopening of Phuket on July 1 and Surat Thani (Koh Samui and Koh Phangan islands) later remains possible. Both provinces were reporting new daily cases in single figures.

Dr Taweesilp said that there were clear criteria for the government to stop the reopening.

For Phuket, they were:

-  more than 90 new Covid-19 cases per week

-  outbreaks in all three districts

-  more than three clusters or widespread and unrelated infections

-  at least 80% of local hospital beds occupied

-  a widespread and uncontrollable outbreak of virus mutations

Dr Taweesilp said there would be four steps, based on the number of new cases, in any lockdown of Phuket, as follows:

-  reduction in activities

-  sealed routes

-  hotel quarantine

-   an end to the Phuket Sandbox reopening project

For Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, their reopening would be halted if Covid-19 cases exceeded the number of local hospital beds, the spokesman said.

Dr Taweesilp reported 4,059 new Covid-19 cases confirmed over the past 24 hours. 

Representatives of entertainment venues met Phuket deputy governor Wikrom Jakthee at the provincial hall on Tuesday, seeking permission to reopen their premises when the island province opens to foreign tourists on July 1.

They also asked for assistance, saying workers in the entertainment sector of Phuket had no income since the government-ordered the closure of their businesses to control Covid-19.

They said they could operate while strictly observing disease control measures.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2136615/phuket-surat-thani-still-set-to-open-to-foreign-tourists

[spoon]

The 5 criteria listed above, will one of the criteria enough to trigger closure or all 5?

[reader]

From The Thaiger

Thai embassies offering COEs for Sandbox travellers from Monday, June 28

The final stumbling block – the issue of Certificates of Entry for people keen to take advantage of the Phuket ‘Sandbox’ – appears to be sorted out. The way is now clear for fully vaccinated travellers to re-enter Thailand via the Phuket Sandbox plan. The plan is also being rolled out for the trio of Gulf Islands – Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao – in a version called ‘Safe and Sealed Routes’ from July 15.

Now, Royal Thai embassies in some countries are posting information that travellers can apply for a COE from next Monday, June 28. Click on this link to read HERE.

The final part of the Sandbox puzzle, confirmed by the Thai cabinet last Tuesday, was its signing into law as part of the Royal Gazette. That was expected on Thursday or Friday, but, following the update to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, is now expected over the weekend.

For people who had already booked flights and accommodation on Phuket for July, they were unable to complete their paperwork as foreign Thai embassies were not able to issue the necessary Certificate of Entry. Many readers told The Thaiger that the embassies were either impossible to contact or, if they did respond, said they knew nothing of the Phuket Sandbox.

Continues at

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/foreign-embassies-offering-coes-for-sandbox-travellers-from-monday-june-28

 

[Boy69]

On 6/26/2021 at 4:17 PM, reader said:

From The Thaiger

Thai embassies offering COEs for Sandbox travellers from Monday, June 28

The final stumbling block – the issue of Certificates of Entry for people keen to take advantage of the Phuket ‘Sandbox’ – appears to be sorted out. The way is now clear for fully vaccinated travellers to re-enter Thailand via the Phuket Sandbox plan. The plan is also being rolled out for the trio of Gulf Islands – Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao – in a version called ‘Safe and Sealed Routes’ from July 15.

Now, Royal Thai embassies in some countries are posting information that travellers can apply for a COE from next Monday, June 28. Click on this link to read HERE.

The final part of the Sandbox puzzle, confirmed by the Thai cabinet last Tuesday, was its signing into law as part of the Royal Gazette. That was expected on Thursday or Friday, but, following the update to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, is now expected over the weekend.

For people who had already booked flights and accommodation on Phuket for July, they were unable to complete their paperwork as foreign Thai embassies were not able to issue the necessary Certificate of Entry. Many readers told The Thaiger that the embassies were either impossible to contact or, if they did respond, said they knew nothing of the Phuket Sandbox.

Continues at

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/foreign-embassies-offering-coes-for-sandbox-travellers-from-monday-june-28

 

The wonders of the Thai Beurocrucy ...

[Guest]

On 6/26/2021 at 2:17 PM, reader said:

Now, Royal Thai embassies in some countries are posting information that travellers can apply for a COE from next Monday, June 28. Click on this link to read HERE.

When I applied for my COE just over 6 months ago, I got the COE the same day (even with 2-part approval process).   So this isn't necessarily a barrier to travel at the start of July.   However, it would be much less stress for anyone to watch a few others test the Sandbox system, then apply.