Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has agreed, in principle, to the pilot plan to reopen Phuket on July 1 and, later, Surat Thani’s Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, to fully vaccinated tourists from some countries.
CCSA Spokesman Dr. Thaveesilp Visanuyothin said, however, that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stressed the need to proceed cautiously with the reopening plan, while maintaining a good balance between preventing new COVID-19 infections and steering the economy.
He said, under the Phuket tourism ‘Sandbox’ program, tourists from countries, with low or medium risk of COVID-19 transmission, will be allowed onto Phuket starting next month. They must be fully vaccinated and spend two weeks on the island before they can travel to other parts of the country.
As for Surat Thani’s tourism reopening program, tourists will only be allowed to stay at hotels or resorts offering so-called alternative local quarantine (ALQ) services. Tourists will be allowed to leave their rooms, but must remain on their hotel premises for the first 3 days of their 14-day quarantine period, before they are allowed to travel to areas designated as a tourism ‘sandbox’ on Koh Samui for the following 4 days. (NNT)