Phuket travel bubbles to begin with test group

By The Phuket News

 

Royal Thai Army Deputy Commander-in-Chief Gen Natthapol Nakpanit speaks to the press after the meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Aug 13). Photo: PR Phuket

 

PHUKET: Royal Thai Army Deputy Commander-in-Chief Gen Natthapol Nakpanit, who also serves as the chairman of the ad hoc committee to consider easing the enforcement of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, under Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), has said that travel bubbles to Phuket may begin as early as the beginning of next month with a small test group arriving via Bangkok.

 

 

 

Gen Natthapol broke the news after a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Aug 13), where he was joined by Dr Walairat Chaifoo, Director of the Division of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Disease Control.

 

The pair were in Phuket to hear first hand from people on the island the current state of Phuket’s readiness to receive tourists.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-travel-bubbles-to-begin-with-test-group-77001.php

 

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2020-08-14

 

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When will they understand that a so-called travel bubble should not involve quarantine?

30 minutes ago, madmitch said:

When will they understand that a so-called travel bubble should not involve quarantine?

Maybe they are thinking about making the whole island of Phuket a quarantine zone - just don't leave the island.........

Can rename it to "Macau Jr." or "Plague Island"

So they will mix new unchecked tourist arrivals into the domestic flights from bkk to hkt. Wooow.

Complete statement is a epitome of madness.

The Island: Phuket

 

A new movie from Michael Bay

This has absolutely nothing to do with a ‘Travel Bubble’ (or travel corridor).

 

This is Alternative State Quarantine with a  little garden space !!!.... 

 

 

No tourist will use this - the simplicity of such suggestions and lack of real solutions to aid a dying tourism economy will have major long term impact on Thailand and all of us (reading this) as people become desperate and crime increases. 

“ ... a small test group arriving via Bangkok”

 

mmmm I wonder which country this small test group will be originating from?

1 hour ago, webfact said:

has said that travel bubbles to Phuket may begin as early as the beginning of next month with a small test group arriving via Bangkok.

 

move along, nothing to see here, just a lonely dude with too much egg salad on his hat needs a little attention.

 

perhaps he just wants to lengthen his title - "chairman of the ad hoc committee to consider easing the enforcement of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, under Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)"

This whole article sounds like how they could use Phuket hotels as ASQ hotels when people arrive via Bangkok or Phuket airport.

Nothing more.

29 minutes ago, Berti said:

This whole article sounds like how they could use Phuket hotels as ASQ hotels when people arrive via Bangkok or Phuket airport.

Nothing more.

But this is a step in the right direction: allow foreigners to come to Thailand early september BUT isolate & test them for 14 days.
That's a very good news for many expats that want to come back to Thailand.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Royal Thai Army Deputy Commander-in-Chief Gen Natthapol Nakpanit

AH yes the very army that  didnt  cancel the  muay thai event and the same with the egyptian soldiers, yes we  all trust you. What tourists in their right  minds would go thru  all  the Thai aggravation to come to a  3rd  rate country for a "holiday"

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Royal Thai Army Deputy Commander-in-Chief Gen Natthapol Nakpanit

AH yes the very army that  didnt  cancel the  muay thai event and the same with the egyptian soldiers, yes we  all trust you. What tourists in their right  minds would go thru  all  the Thai aggravation to come to a  3rd  rate country for a "holiday"

And whilst were at it Mr Rear Admiral Ben Dover, wheres  your  1  metre social distancing in the photo op for pea brained ideas?

Great news for ozzies who made it into the new list of 24 countries, now how to get out of Australia? 

1 hour ago, bloodyholly said:

“ ... a small test group arriving via Bangkok”

 

mmmm I wonder which country this small test group will be originating from?

Read the article. There is a link 

Quote

• Algeria
• Australia
• Canada
• Georgia
• Japan
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• New Zealand
• Rwanda
• Serbia
• South Korea
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Uruguay
• China (on the condition of reciprocal action by the Chinese authorities)

The list was narrowed

 

Looks like Phuket will be off of my travel list if this gets the go ahead, as I may as well just be quarantined in my hotel/resort for my entire trip then plus some additional days due to having mixed with an untested traveler who transited from BKK, but may still show positive while on the island.  Time for the people of Phuket to speak up.  A friend who lives in Rawai says that if this happens, and they are not quarantined first, then they will just shut down their restaurant instead of possibly becoming infected from a tourist.  Truly concerned about being shut down and stuck on the island again due to a cluster starting. 

1 hour ago, Berti said:

This whole article sounds like how they could use Phuket hotels as ASQ hotels when people arrive via Bangkok or Phuket airport.

Nothing more.

Thought that was an alternative already https://thaiest.com/blog/list-of-alternative-state-quarantine-asq-hotels-thailand

1 hour ago, madmen said:

 

 

1 hour ago, madmen said:

• Algeria
• Australia
• Canada
• Georgia
• Japan
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• New Zealand
• Rwanda
• Serbia
• South Korea
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Uruguay
• China (on the condition of reciprocal action by the Chinese authorities)

Monenegro?

 

Are they exoecting Thaksin?

The whole idea of a travel bubble is that you can travel quarantine free between two countries which don't have excessive covid19 virus cases. If you have to quarantine what is the point of having a travel bubble country?

I don't think this is really about "tourists". The current system for "returnees" et al is not good/fast/efficient/large enough and this will be an expansion of it. Its about the 11 groups and potentially more groups being added to that. This will give other areas a part of that income. As long as they do the 14 days in quarantine its good thing.

 

 

As the money tree withers and dies cracks will begin to appear and new shoots of rinsing will sprout up and fester this festering land ???? 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

has said that travel bubbles to Phuket may begin as early as the beginning of next month with a small test group arriving via Bangkok.

I was thinking of going on a trip down south next month... if this goes ahead count me out.

I will not be sharing my holiday with guinea pigs from outside Thailand.

This is just a quarantine island and a way for the dying hotels there to make money. How much do we have to pay for the 14 day quarantine?

 

They should really have a travel bubble, some countries don't have any local transmission for more than 30 days.

4 hours ago, Felt 35 said:

Thought that was an alternative already https://thaiest.com/blog/list-of-alternative-state-quarantine-asq-hotels-thailand

The hotels in Phuket on this list are not used yet in my opinion.

No repatriation flights to Phuket, so how do people go from BKK to Phuket?

5 hours ago, Spellforce said:

But this is a step in the right direction: allow foreigners to come to Thailand early september BUT isolate & test them for 14 days.
That's a very good news for many expats that want to come back to Thailand.

 

The rules would be the same as with entry via Bangkok. So nothing changes, only more ASQ hotels (Phuket included).

You are right that more ASQ hotels would leave more room to include more groups of Non-Thais to enter,

I'm sure they could fill a plane from Montenegro or Rwanda with tourists ........ not.

Zero restrictions. And I mean zero. Only a covid letter and quarantine. That would not only be totally safe, it would bring in some much needed tourism dollars. 

 

Thailand should open itself to anyone, from anywhere, if they are willing to deal with quarantine. To not do so is timid, insane, overly cautious and sadistic. 

19 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Zero restrictions. And I mean zero. Only a covid letter and quarantine. That would not only be totally safe, it would bring in some much needed tourism dollars. 

 

Thailand should open itself to anyone, from anywhere, if they are willing to deal with quarantine. To not do so is timid, insane, overly cautious and sadistic. 

I agree. I also don't really care if they overtly profit from it. Running two households at opposite ends of the world is taking a massive financial toll on myself. I want to come back.

28 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Zero restrictions. And I mean zero. Only a covid letter and quarantine. That would not only be totally safe, it would bring in some much needed tourism dollars. 

 

Thailand should open itself to anyone, from anywhere, if they are willing to deal with quarantine. To not do so is timid, insane, overly cautious and sadistic. 

You are absolutely right and I would wish this comes true, but it will not happen.

Don't forget that only one new covid case in Thailand would cause the government and the whole nation run amok.

 

So the more they restrict entry with complicated rules and requirements, the less probable a new case.

5 hours ago, madmen said:

• Algeria
• Australia
• Canada
• Georgia
• Japan
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• New Zealand
• Rwanda
• Serbia
• South Korea
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Uruguay
• China (on the condition of reciprocal action by the Chinese authorities)

The list was narrowed

Wrong list.  That’s not a list of countries Thailand is considering allowing to enter.  It’s a list of “safe” countries the EU published.  The article only links this list to note Thailand is on it.