Phuket Quarantine Update - Personal Information

[TotallyOz]

I have now had 7 friends do the Phuket quarantine Sandbox. They said it was fabulous and no issues. They can't book flights to Bangkok but they are taking a taxi which is about 12-15k baht. Overall, not a bad price. I was told by all they did what they wanted and toured multiple places and had a great holiday.

[iendo]

With the mandatory stay in Phuket changing from 14 to 7 days on August 1st, this option becomes very attractive. I'm just waiting for things to open up in Pattaya and (less) Bangkok.  Wasn't there a flight from Phuket to U-Tapao?

https://prnt.sc/1fp6djj

Reason would be because it's not Chonburi.

(it seems i entered the wrong dates, so that might not be an option anymore until Aug.)

Sorry about that.

[spoon]

33 minutes ago, iendo said:

With the mandatory stay in Phuket changing from 14 to 7 days on August 1st, this option becomes very attractive. I'm just waiting for things to open up in Pattaya and (less) Bangkok.  Wasn't there a flight from Phuket to U-Tapao?

https://prnt.sc/1fp6djj

Reason would be because it's not Chonburi.

(it seems i entered the wrong dates, so that might not be an option anymore until Aug.)

Sorry about that.

7 days is more bearable option indeed. Make it 7 days in pattaya and i might be tempted to make effort to go, provided my own country allowed us to travel and returned without mandatory hotel quarantine.

[kokopelli]

7 days quarantine in Pattaya would be acceptable to me.

[Guest]

If I understand correctly, the sandbox scheme is not even quarantine, provided you and your fellow travelers pass the covid test ?

You can go anywhere in the designated area.  e.g. Phuket island  or when operating, Pattaya.

That would be no problem at all for me, but the only things I'd want to see are:

(i) Thailand keeping promises and operating according to the rules specified in the promotional material, rather than finding additional reasons to send people to quarantine hotels.    Trust matters.

(ii) Some facilities open.   Coffee shops, restaurants, bars etc.

 

 

[10tazione]

11 hours ago, TotallyOz said:

I have now had 7 friends do the Phuket quarantine Sandbox.

Is there anyone in the Puket Sandbox you don't know?

[tm_nyc]

As of August 1, people doing the Phuket Sandbox will be allowed to travel to Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan & Koh Tao after 7 days on Phuket.  For everywhere else in Thailand, the 14 day Phuket quarantine is still in effect.

https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/sandboxers-can-travel-to-specified-islands-and-beaches-after-7-days-in-phuket

[tamtam]

Did your friend´s quarantine hotel in Phuket allow him to bring guys to his hotel?

[reader]

From Thai Enquirer

Phuket tightens restrictions but Sandbox continues

Phuket introduced extra Covid restriction measures Tuesday as case numbers continued to rise, but said it was sticking with the Sandbox project allowing vaccinated tourists in from abroad.

Under the latest measures, two major shopping malls will be temporarily closed, as well as schools and sports stadiums. Gatherings will be limited to 100 people, down from the previous 150.

The restrictions join a raft of measures, including the closure of at-risk businesses, in force on the island from July 20 to August 2.

Despite the recent increase in infections “the province will continue with the Phuket Sandbox policy,” Governor Narong Woonciew said on Monday. The numbers “are not a factor to discontinue the Sandbox,” he said.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/30499/phuket-tightens-restrictions-but-sandbox-continues/

===================================

From Bangkok Post

Airlines told to check papers of all passengers

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has ordered airlines to ensure that foreign travellers have all documents necessary for permission to enter their destinations ahead of issuing boarding passes.

The CAAT announcement covers those tourists who had earlier touched down in one of the so-called "sandbox" zones and were making onward trips after completing their mandatory 14-day stay in the zone and obtaining a clear Covid-19 test result.

The airlines can check disease control measures and entry requirements for each province at https://www.moicovid.com

angkok Airways yesterday began operating Phuket-Samui flights while Nok Air reopened its Phuket-U-Tapao route with the CAAT urging foreign travellers in sandbox areas to contact the airlines before travelling to ensure a smooth journey.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2154223/airlines-told-to-check-papers-of-all-passengers

[TotallyOz]

2 hours ago, tamtam said:

Did your friend´s quarantine hotel in Phuket allow him to bring guys to his hotel?

I don't know. They did not come to Thailand for sex. They came for holiday.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, tamtam said:

Did your friend´s quarantine hotel in Phuket allow him to bring guys to his hotel?

A quick google search suggests this is possible.     Of course, if this matters to a traveler, it would be wise to check with the hotel before booking.

"Would other people be allowed to visit the traveler during the initial 14-night stay?

Yes, if that person is fully vaccinated or if that person comes from Bangkok, that person must follow Phuket entry requirements for domestic travelers such as having RT-PCR COVID 19 test before traveling to Phuket."

Source:   https://www.thaiembassy.com/travel-to-thailand/no-quarantine-phuket-sandbox-plan

[reader]

From The Thaiger

Officials reluctant to cancel Phuket sandbox, lifeline for desperate locals

Officials have confirmed that the Phuket sandbox scheme will not be cancelled, despite rising infections on the island. At least not for now. The Bangkok Post reports that despite the island reporting 40 new infections yesterday, the highest number since it re-opened to foreign tourists, the governor is reluctant to put an end to the financial lifeline for desperate locals. Instead, a number of additional restrictions have been introduced.

Most of the new infections are cases of local transmission, primarily in people arriving from high-risk “dark red” provinces to look for work. Officials have responded by strengthening measures to get on to the island, including the need for domestic arrivals to have proof of vaccination and a negative Covid-19 test.

To date, the sandbox scheme has resulted in 278,623 hotel nights booked between July and September, a tiny light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel. Yuthasak Supasorn from the TAT says the scheme will continue, but efforts must be made to curb the spread of the virus, adding that the Phuket scheme is also helping tourism elsewhere.

“We have to stay on high alert and try to decrease daily infections over the next 7 days to sustain the programme in the long run. We have to keep this fortress steady as the province is a test run for other destinations. For example, Samui has most of its international visitors flying from the Phuket sandbox, rather than its Samui Plus model.”

Another concern for Yuthasak is the perception of Thailand abroad, with a number of countries classifying it as a high-risk destination.

“We have to work two times harder to convince the international community Phuket is safe for travel, which is difficult when Covid-19 cases are peaking nationwide.”

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/cv19-thailand/cv19-phuket/officials-reluctant-to-cancel-phuket-sandbox-lifeline-for-desperate-locals

[GPAPA]

I wish I could be in Thailand and provide my personal info too. So sad that my planned business trip to bangkok back in 2020 was cancelled because of pandemic and we still don't see an end to this.

[vinapu]

On 7/27/2021 at 8:54 AM, TotallyOz said:

I don't know. They did not come to Thailand for sex. They came for holiday.

Like all of us

[spoon]

Phuket sandbox tourist cant use buses now to travel out

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2152471/state-run-interprovincial-bus-services-suspended

[NIrishGuy]

On 8/1/2021 at 9:41 PM, vinapu said:

Like all of us?  

I thought it was the Temples and the food we all mainly visited for ?  No ?  Thats just me then ? Hmm ok.....

[reader]

From Coconuts Bangkok

Phuket ‘7+7’ scheme expands travel options to other islands

Thailand’s ballyhooed sandbox just got a little bigger.

The COVID-19 task force on Monday gave the greenlight to the so-called “7+7” extension to the Phuket sandbox.

Effective immediately, the new program will allow fully vaccinated travelers arriving from abroad to spend seven nights on Phuket and then another seven in select other destinations before being able to move freely around Thailand, current restrictions aside.

Those other destinations include Koh Phi Phi, Koh Ngai, and Railay in Krabi; Khao Lak and Koh Yao in Phang-Nga; and Surat Thani’s three holiday islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/phuket-77-scheme-expands-travel-options-to-other-islands/

[Guest]

3 hours ago, reader said:

Those other destinations include Koh Phi Phi, Koh Ngai, and Railay in Krabi; Khao Lak and Koh Yao in Phang-Nga; and Surat Thani’s three holiday islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.

I wonder how tourists are supposed to get from Phuket to Railay ?  

I guess high end tourists could charter a boat from Phuket, but whether or not the market will support regular sailings is another matter. 

Anything other than boat or helicopter means traveling through other Thai territory.

 

[daydreamer]

10 hours ago, z909 said:

I wonder how tourists are supposed to get from Phuket to Railay ?  

I guess high end tourists could charter a boat from Phuket, but whether or not the market will support regular sailings is another matter. 

Anything other than boat or helicopter means traveling through other Thai territory.

 

The coconuts article @readerposted the link to says "To reach Krabi’s three sandbox destinations, you’ll have to use SHA Plus-certified boat or ferry services." 

 

[reader]

From The Thaiger

Flights from Phuket to Bangkok to resume

Domestic flights from Phuket to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports are set to resume next month, according to the Transport Ministry. The Bangkok Post reports that the flights are being given the green light to facilitate the travel needs of tourists in Phuket as part of the island’s sandbox re-opening scheme.

On July 21, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand banned commercial domestic flights to the “dark red” provinces, amid a surge in Covid-19 cases. The ban caught tourists and residents on Phuket off-guard, leaving many with no choice but to make the arduous journey by road. The Bangkok Post reports that the CAAT is expected to ease the ban at Bangkok’s 2 airports, in order to help Phuket’s sandbox tourists.

However, arrivals from Phuket who wish to travel to Bangkok or neighbouring provinces will be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine first. Those who are flying home from Bangkok will not be permitted to leave the airport, but the maximum transit period has been increased from 12 to 24 hours.

Continues at

https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/flights-from-phuket-to-bangkok-to-resume-for-sandbox-tourists-next-month

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, reader said:

arrivals from Phuket who wish to travel to Bangkok or neighbouring provinces will be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine first

What is the logic for this ?     Phuket already has controls and tests for people entering the province.  I would have thought arrivals from Phuket would be less likely to be infected than people already in Bangkok.

[reader]

Following excerpt confirms what most of us have believed all along about why people return to Thailand:

"The favourite destinations were Bangkok, Surat Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chiang Mai and Chon Buri."

From Bangkok Post

Thousands of tourists leaving Phuket for other provinces

Thousands of tourists have departed Phuket by land since the Phuket Sandbox 7+7 Extension programme took effect on Aug 17, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, spokesman for Centre for Economic Situation Administration, said on Monday.

Under the programme, the mandatory stay in Phuket for fully vaccinated international travellers is reduced from 14 to seven days. They can spend the other seven days in any of the extension areas in Krabi (Koh Phi Phi, Koh Ngai or Railay), Phang-Nga (Khao Lak or Koh Yao), or Surat Thani (Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan or Koh Tao).

Mr Thanakorn said so far 3,578 tourists had left Phuket by land for the extension areas. After seven days there, they could proceed to other provinces.

The favourite destinations were Bangkok, Surat Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chiang Mai and Chon Buri. These destinations had complied with the pandemic controls required by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, he said.

Mr Thanakorn said a  total of 22,810 tourists had arrived under the Phuket Sandbox scheme. Room bookings had been made for 409,390 nights at SHA (safety and health administration) Plus hotels throughout July-September.

Daily flights continued to bring in tourists. The five primary countries of origin were the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, France and Germany.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2169835/thousands-of-tourists-leaving-phuket-for-other-provinces

[reader]

Moved to Expats are included in vaccination plan