Phuket eases lockdown measures to attract tourists during Chinese New Year

[rooster59]

Phuket eases lockdown measures to attract tourists during Chinese New Year

By THE NATION

 

 

Phuket Governor Narong Woonsiew said on Friday that the provincial communicable disease committee had approved relaxation of lockdown measures as no new cases had been reported in the province for 29 days since the new wave of Covid-19.

 

 

“Travellers from other provinces will not have to get their ID cards scanned before entering Phuket, but they still need to undergo thermo-scanning, checking in via MorChana application and pre-registering at the website www.gophuget.com before entering the province either by land, air, or sea channels,” he said.

 

“People from 28 provinces declared as red zone by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration due to the high number of infections, will not need to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine before entering Phuket,” he added.

 

“However, those travelling from provinces in dark-red zones, namely Samut Sakhon, Rayong, Chonburi, Trad and Chanthaburi, where the number of infections is very high, would need to enter mandatory quarantine.”

 

The governor added that the easing of lockdown measures was aimed at helping boost Phuket’s economy which relies mostly on tourism.

 

“As the Chinese New Year festival [starting February 12] is drawing near, we hope to regain some of the tourists to help hotel entrepreneurs and those in related industries get back on their feet,” he said.

 

Other disease prevention measures announced by the Ministry of Public Health would still be strictly enforced in the province, the governor added.

 

Since the new outbreak was reported in Thailand in December, Phuket has found only three confirmed cases in the province -- from a family who had visited a big-bike festival on Koh Lanta in Krabi province on December 11. All patients had been treated, cured of Covid-19 and been discharged.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30401694?utm_source=category&utm_medium=internal_referral

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2021-01-24

 

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[bluesofa]

8 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Phuket eases lockdown measures to attract tourists during Chinese New Year

Could this be seen as a chance to export the virus back to the country of origin?

 

<For the hard-of-learning: The text above may contain traces of sarcasm>

[bkk6060]

I can see the dark red provinces reducing their color in order to allow everyone to travel.

Chinese New Year holiday time I believe can run up to 2 weeks.  Big money potential.

So, I think any restrictions will be lifted early next month.

Should be interesting to see what happens after.  Hopefully, March will not see a big 3rd wave but wait and see.

Edited January 24, 2021 by bkk6060

[smedly]

22 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Phuket Governor Narong Woonsiew said on Friday that the provincial communicable disease committee had approved relaxation of lockdown measures as no new cases had been reported in the province for 29 days since the new wave of Covid-19

don't you want to keep it that way ?

 

bringing tourists into Phuket from outside is asking for trouble - will they need to quarantine for 14 days ?

 

you have it under control why not keep it that way or does the income potential override everything including public safety

 

If I lived in Phuket I would not be happy with this at all

[Shuya]

Cases very high in Chonburi? As in one case in five days?

[ChakaKhan]

Chinese New Year Island Style...aka The Hunger Games 2021...will also accept The Purge-China #9 Red edition ????

[Tarteso]

[Rimmer]

Two off topic troll memes have been removed

[Cake Monster]

6 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I can see the dark red provinces reducing their color in order to allow everyone to travel.

Chinese New Year holiday time I believe can run up to 2 weeks.  Big money potential.

So, I think any restrictions will be lifted early next month.

Should be interesting to see what happens after.  Hopefully, March will not see a big 3rd wave but wait and see.

The Authorities have been saying now for weeks that they would have this current outbreak under control by Feb.

This was never in doubt with the amount of Money involved over Chinese New Year.

An unusual tactic in reducing Infections, that appears to work.

 

[Bob12345]

7 hours ago, smedly said:

don't you want to keep it that way ?

 

bringing tourists into Phuket from outside is asking for trouble - will they need to quarantine for 14 days ?

 

you have it under control why not keep it that way or does the income potential override everything including public safety

 

If I lived in Phuket I would not be happy with this at all

I do live in Phuket and will also not be happy with this, but the guy has to balance the missed opportunities for locals to earn some money with the risks of getting the virus here. I myself can do perfectly well with zero tourists coming in, but many other families have serious trouble making a living and staying alive. Simply refusing tourists might push them over the line, losing their properties, opportunities, and livelihoods. Bringing tourists in will bring in a lot of money and possibly no new infections. 

 

I don't envy him for having to make this decision... a group of people will hate him no matter what he decides.

[sammieuk1]

There will be hoards of dark red zone peeps chomping at the bit for some fun incarceration ???? 

[ChipButty]

Whatever he decides he will be in the wrong this morning I had a drive up the west coast from Rawai to Patong it looks deserted lots of unit shuttered up so what are tourist going to do? All go to central shopping,

I must admit Patong beach looks good,

 

[connda]

Wife and I had made tour plans before high season.  Typical Thai authorities can't help be freak out if a migrant sneezes and everything is locked back down again and nobody want to be caught in an inter-provincial closure.  So we went no where.  Plans cancelled.  Personally they can take their Domestic Tourism plans and burn them along with the cane fields and forests to create some more PM2.5 air which is when we stop driving and stay at home with the air filters cranked on for the next three months or until it starts to rain again.

We'll reconsider when the government collectively gets their **** together, rolls out an effective vaccination program, and opens the businesses and country back up again.  We can wait.  We'll just support our local community and save money.  Anyway, I've pretty much have seen my fill of reclining buddhas and dual-priced forests and botanical gardens for this lifetime.  Once international borders open back up I'm taking my vacations elsewhere.  Portugal.  Mexico.  And while I'm their check out their long-term immigration requirements.  I'm tired of this place.

[XJPSX]

Not sure if the Thai govt have allowed for the 28 days of quarantine Chinese face when returning. Several of my Chinese staff in Thailand have not contemplated a return because of this...then 2 weeks back in Thailand.

[CharlieH]

Reported Troll post removed.

 

9) You will not post inflammatory messages on the forum, or attempt to disrupt discussions to upset its participants, or trolling. Trolling can be defined as the act of purposefully antagonizing other people on the internet by posting controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.

[Golden Triangle]

Unfortunately there will be no tourists.

[ThailandRyan]

If all goes well I see Songkran in the future for all of Thailand, bring on the water fights, the scantily clad  and of course the washing of parental feet.  How different from the Chinese New Year can things be with the potential to spread the virus to the entire Country.  Between Phuket, Bangkok's China Town, and then Chiang Mai's Chinese heritage, let the fun began.  Wait, is this not where we were a year ago, preparing for fun and then, oh bother, here I go think to mut again...

[taxin]

1 hour ago, XJPSX said:

Not sure if the Thai govt have allowed for the 28 days of quarantine Chinese face when returning. Several of my Chinese staff in Thailand have not contemplated a return because of this...then 2 weeks back in Thailand.

Maybe this is because the Phuket authorities are not focusing on overseas Chinese, maybe it’s the domestic market they want to open up for ?

You are aware that Chinese New Year is now a public holiday in Thailand ? It also lands on a Friday, so it will be the first long weekend of the year, as the last holiday was a washout (the new year holiday that was practically cancelled) there will be a lot of people keen to travel.

[connda]

41 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

If all goes well I see Songkran in the future for all of Thailand, bring on the water fights, the scantily clad  and of course the washing of parental feet.  How different from the Chinese New Year can things be with the potential to spread the virus to the entire Country.  Between Phuket, Bangkok's China Town, and then Chiang Mai's Chinese heritage, let the fun began.  Wait, is this not where we were a year ago, preparing for fun and then, oh bother, here I go think to mut again...

I took the wife down to Wororot Market a couple of days ago.  She went to buy fabric and most shops in that area catering to Thai buyers are pretty much open as usual.  But gawd, all around the Thapea area south of the moat in what used to be the "tourist areas" is looks like a dystopian novel.  Shops shut, boarded up, out of business, for sale or just gone including major hotels and other tourist oriented business.  It's pretty wild looking in a very sad sort of manner. 
Chinese New Years?  What are they planning?  To have parades down Thapae past all the closed shops.  My guess the Wororot area will do well enough during Chinese New Years proper then two weeks later Chiang Mai will become a dark-red zone closed to the rest of the provinces.  (Hope not, but...)  The restaurant I've been eating at since 2009 is still doing business as its primary customers are Thais.  Like other Thai for Thai businesses they've taken a small hit but otherwise they're weathering the storm pretty well.  And they make some of the best pat-pak-ruam in the country so I ate while the Mrs shopped.  Had a latte, sat, watched the world go by on Thapae albeit at a much slower pace.  But life goes on, sans tourists.

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by connda

[ThailandRyan]

The ducks may get somewhat of a reprieve this year as well as the Prawns.  Yaoworat Rd, here in Bangkok is a place we like to go to at least twice a month and eat at one of our favorite restaurants after visiting Wat Mangkon.  Plenty of shops down the side soi's for us to pick up what's needed as far as our green tea mixes and food stuffs the GF likes to make and eat.  Went on Friday evening and it was pretty empty as well as the mall  Yesterday we went to Siam Paragon and there were very few folks there also.  We then used our season passes and went to the Sea Life Aquarium below the food court, usually very busy, but we were the only ones in the entire Aquarium at 5 pm.  You would think that with schools closed the aquarium would be busy, but then I am getting the feeling there is not much money to go around right now.

[Albert Zweistein]

11 hours ago, connda said:

Portugal.  Mexico.  And while I'm their check out their

Portugal, top of the bill and very low rate of criminality compared to Mexico.