FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Reopening of Phuket, Surat Thani gets initial nod from CCSA

Reopening of Phuket, Surat Thani gets initial nod from CCSA

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Friday has approved in principle the tourism sandbox programme that will be implemented in Phuket from July 1 and in certain areas of Surat Thani from July 15, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said.

Under the sandbox scheme, foreign tourists who can verify they have been inoculated against Covid-19 and test negative can fly into Phuket and move around freely in the province without having to quarantine.

After staying in Phuket for 14 days and a negative test for Covid, the tourists can travel to other provinces in Thailand.

Other requirements include the visitors must have been living in countries with medium to low level of infection for at least 21 days before entering Phuket, and they must strictly follow disease control measures throughout their stay.

“As for Surat Thani province, only Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Pha Ngan will be opened for foreign tourists under the sandbox scheme from July 15, and the same 14-day mandatory rule will apply,” said Yuthasak.

“During the mandatory 14 days, tourists can travel to selected destinations under a sealed routes model such as Koh He and Koh Mai Thon in Phuket. From August onwards, more destinations will be added like Koh Phi Phi and Koh Ngai in Krabi province as well as Khao Lak and Koh Yao in Phang Nga province.

“As for Thai nationals, they can travel freely in Phuket from July onwards provided they have received one jab of AstraZeneca or two jabs of Sinovac vaccine,” added Yuthasak.

The TAT governor added that after getting the greenlight from the CCSA, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports will present the plan to the Cabinet on June 22 for their approval, after which it will be announced in the Royal Gazette.

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