Thailand Gets Ready To Reopen Phuket To Vaccinated Tourists From July 1

BANGKOK, June 4 (Bernama) – Thailand is preparing to reopen resort island Phuket to vaccinated foreign tourists on July 1. Under the “Phuket Sandbox” scheme, vaccinated foreign tourists will be allowed to visit Phuket without quarantine. However, they must stay in the island for 14 days before travelling to other provinces in the kingdom. Ministry of Foreign Affairs' deputy spokesman Natapanu Nopakun said preparations for the planned reopening of the province next month is underway. “The reopening depends on COVID-19 situation in Thailand and overseas as well as the approval from Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA),” he said at COVID-19 daily briefing here today. Natapanu said about 50 per cent of Phuket population have been vaccinated, thus far. The proposed scheme will be discuss during CCSA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha next Monday before getting cabinet approval on Tuesday. Earlier, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said Phuket will be the first destination in Thailand to reopen to vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine requirements starting July 1. “All of us at the TAT share the excitement and anticipation of everyone in Phuket in the preparation to welcome back foreign tourists in the not-too-distant future. From 1 July, 2021, vaccinated foreign tourists will be allowed to visit Phuket without quarantine, so the countdown starts now to the reopening of Phuket,” he said in a statement. TAT expects about 129,000 visitors to the island between July and September this year. Over the last 24 hours, Thailand recorded 2,631 new COVID-19 cases and 31 deaths, bringing the total infections in the kingdom to 171,979 and 1,177 fatalities, to date. Of the new cases, CCSA assistant spokesperson Dr Apisamai Srirangsan said 2,580 were local transmissions and 51 imported cases including six who arrived from Malaysia. She said the new fatalities involved 16 men and 15 women aged between 17 and 97 years old including 20 in Bangkok, Samut Prakan (four), Chiang Mai (two). “Health authorities detected two new COVID-19 clusters in Bangkok bringing the active cluster in the capital 52, to date,” she said. -- BERNAMA