Pattaya sandbox: Proposal to allow foreign tourists to stay in resort without quarantine

[webfact]

Picture: Manager

 

Thailand's billionaire tourism minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan is prepared to declare Pattaya and Chonburi as a "sandbox" if officials there can stop one thing.

 

Foreigners sneaking out elsewhere.

 

A "sandbox" is the latest Thai jargon meaning an area where foreign tourists would be allowed to go where they would not have to quarantine at all. 

 

This is expected to be just for vaccinated tourists and the earliest it would start is July 1st of 2021. 

 

Picture: Manager

 

Pipat as reported by Manager said that being in a sandbox is dependent on vaccination and the readiness of Chonburi people.

 

They would need to be able to ensure that foreign tourists didn't go out of Pattaya and Chonburi.

 

So sneaking off for a night out in Bangkok, for example, would be a definite no-no. 

 

Sandbox is a term often reserved for what children play in, notes Thaivisa.

 

Pipat was at City Hall yesterday along with provincial governor Phakrathorn Thienchai and Pattaya's mayor Sontaya Kunplome on the top table at a meeting of Pattaya and Chonburi tourazzi. 

 

Anybody who is anyone in the tourism industry. 

 

Pipat outlined the current situation that 7 day quarantine will await specific foreign tourists who had received two doses of vaccine against Covid-19 under the Area Quarantine plan.

 

Ten day quarantine for those that hadn't been jabbed. 

 

Africans - 14 days. 

 

But the way forward thereafter - that's where the sandbox comes in. 

 

Sontaya chipped in that Pattaya is ready for Area Quarantine. 

 

There were already 11 hotels offering State Quarantine and 20 catering to Alternative Local State Quarantine. 

 

In addition another 20 had expressed an interest in offering Area Quarantine. 

 

He explained that two zones would be created in Pattaya - the sandbox zone and the area quarantine zone. 

 

There would be specific areas where Thais and foreigners could be together.

 

This interesting tidbit was not expanded on by Manager, notes Thaivisa.

 

Picture: Manager

 

Maybe it could mean that foreign tourists could actually go to bars and clubs if they were in the sandbox zone come July.

 

In other news Sontaya said that the tourism sector has requested up to a million doses of vaccine so that people in the industry including foreigners and foreign migrants could be vaccinated ahead of the sandbox plan. 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-03-23

 

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[Wiggy]

More like, 'head in the sandbox.' 

[Thaiwrath]

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

Sandbox is a term often reserved for what children play in,

I would use it (sandbox) to describe silly brainwave ideas politicians come up with !

[PatOngo]

I think it might just work, I can see it all now!

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by PatOngo

[Kerryd]

 I can see that lasting, maybe, one whole day before they discover "foreigners" who've snuck off to Bangkok.
Or Chiang Mai. Or Korat.
Or wherever they really wanted to go in the first place but went to Pattaya instead so they could avoid quarantine.

Not to mention that within a week they would probably discover that a lot of those tourists weren't really "vaccinated" at all. And then they'll discover outbreaks of the virus in Pattaya and the surrounding provinces, resulting in another lockdown.

Unless they have tracking bracelets that can't be removed - at all - and security monitoring (and rapid response teams on standby) - they won't be able to keep people from "sneaking out".
What do they think ? That they'll put a locking steel collar around their necks connected to a hardened steel chain that prevents them from going outside of their hotel rooms ? 
(Yes, I have no doubt that some of you will think that is what they will try to do.)

It's basically a plan that is designed to fail before it even begins.

[najomtiensun]

Er they mix with locals and the locals can travel Doh !

[AlfHuy]

Oh dear.

[AlfHuy]

Africans - 14 days. 

 

Wowww.

 

What next? 

Brits 12 days

Germans 2 months

Australians 10 days

Chinese 2 hours

[GeorgeCross]

46 minutes ago, webfact said:

Sandbox is a term often reserved for what children play in, notes Thaivisa

 

my cat would say otherwise

 

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by GeorgeCross

[GeorgeCross]

38 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

 I can see that lasting, maybe, one whole day before they discover "foreigners" who've snuck off to Bangkok.
Or Chiang Mai. Or Korat.
Or wherever they really wanted to go in the first place but went to Pattaya instead so they could avoid quarantine.

Not to mention that within a week they would probably discover that a lot of those tourists weren't really "vaccinated" at all. And then they'll discover outbreaks of the virus in Pattaya and the surrounding provinces, resulting in another lockdown.

Unless they have tracking bracelets that can't be removed - at all - and security monitoring (and rapid response teams on standby) - they won't be able to keep people from "sneaking out".
What do they think ? That they'll put a locking steel collar around their necks connected to a hardened steel chain that prevents them from going outside of their hotel rooms ? 
(Yes, I have no doubt that some of you will think that is what they will try to do.)

It's basically a plan that is designed to fail before it even begins.

 

yeah they tried it in tenerife when one hotel had an outbreak. within hours everyone was by the pool instead of locked up in their rooms

 

not sure everyone will run off to bangkok.. maybe soi buakhao though!

 

[Surelynot]

Policy number 2,357....

[Kerryd]

1 minute ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

yeah they tried it in tenerife when one hotel had an outbreak. within hours everyone was by the pool instead of locked up in their rooms

 

not sure everyone will run off to bangkok.. maybe soi buakhao though!

 

They wouldn't care if the tourists only went to buakhao or soi 6 or Walking street, as long as they stayed in "Chon Buri" from the sounds of it.

And remember the last "lock down" we had. Phase 1 was to prevent "outsiders" from entering Pattaya. Caused huge traffic problems due to the location of the checkpoints.

Then, Phase 2 was to prevent all those "dirty foreigners" in Central Pattaya from escaping and spreading the virus around the country - except that the only control was on people entering that area, not leaving it ! And there were NO reported cases of infection amongst all those "dirty foreigners" despite the fear mongering on the part of the same officials who now want all those "dirty foreigners", er, I mean "tourists" to come back.

Then there was the last lockdown which was supposed to prevent people from travelling outside of Chon Buri (and 3 other provinces including Rayong where the outbreak was). 
Except, again, they had one checkpoint out in Bang Lamung (near the police station) to check people heading towards Pattaya and then one on highway 36, checking people who were heading towards Rayong, but only those travelling in the early morning ! (I went through it twice in the afternoon and they weren't checking anyone !)
I saw one on the 331 highway near the intersection with highway 332 that, again, wasn't being manned in the afternoons.
 
(It had all the appearance of people wanting to make it look like they were doing something so they could claim a hunk of the budget set up to pay for all those checkpoints and the people manning them.)

I can't imagine they'd make even that minimal effort to try and contain tourists in Chon Buri. Tracking bracelets and phone apps won't stop them from "sneaking off" the minute they think they can get away with it.
(Not all of them would do that of course but you can be sure there'd be a lot who would. Especially all the "tourists" who got caught out of the country when they put a halt on people returning last year.)
 

[jacko45k]

Ahhh, another idea, put it on the pile there.

[topt]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

tourazzi

Interesting word..........????

 

however -https://tourazzi.com/ 

[Cake Monster]

I can envisage now all the Patrols in APC,s fully laden with Storm Troopers armed to the teeth with assault Rifles Etc going round the Streets looking for any absconding Tourists

[Guderian]

It won't happen because they'll trial it out first on the islands, like Samui and Pha Ngan, and when they find after a month or so that the virus is ripping through the entire population, even if they've been vaccinated, due to new variants arriving in Thailand along with the vaccinated foreigners, they'll realise that it's a huge mistake and shut it down.

 

For a change, Boris and the UK are ahead of the game, they realise the risk in allowing even vaccinated people to travel abroad to who-knows-what may be lurking out there. After their heroic and highly expensive vaccination campaign (£12 billion and counting, compared with the EU's expenditure of less than £2 billion, and yet they still whinge and complain, but what did they expect, cheap idiots) that should soon return large parts of the economy to normality, the UK government won't want to take any risks with new variants arriving against which the vaccines used may be much less effective. Sorry folks, but there won't be any holidays in the sun this year, and Thailand should get used to the idea.

[ThaiFelix]

Why not just charge a surcharge for those not vaccinated, then an extra surcharge if you are infected with  covid??  The situation however becomes problematic when you start adding the very necessary dual pricing (well I think its more like 5 layer pricing now like in the hospitals) with a certain price for tourists, one for migrant workers,  one for Chinese, one for those with mustaches etc etc. 

 

Dont worry about the citizens, just get that foreign capital in by any means!

[from the home of CC]

I believe that foreigners have already demonstrated time after time that they just can't be trusted, especially if there is alcohol involved. Folks who arrive here mostly don't give a **** about anyone else's welfare, their self gratification being their only goal and motivation. A nightmare scenario as far as disease control is concerned imo..

[Big Yuley]

4 hours ago, Kerryd said:

 I can see that lasting, maybe, one whole day before they discover "foreigners" who've snuck off to Bangkok.
Or Chiang Mai. Or Korat.
Or wherever they really wanted to go in the first place but went to Pattaya instead so they could avoid quarantine.

Not to mention that within a week they would probably discover that a lot of those tourists weren't really "vaccinated" at all. And then they'll discover outbreaks of the virus in Pattaya and the surrounding provinces, resulting in another lockdown.

Unless they have tracking bracelets that can't be removed - at all - and security monitoring (and rapid response teams on standby) - they won't be able to keep people from "sneaking out".
What do they think ? That they'll put a locking steel collar around their necks connected to a hardened steel chain that prevents them from going outside of their hotel rooms ? 
(Yes, I have no doubt that some of you will think that is what they will try to do.)

It's basically a plan that is designed to fail before it even begins.

 

the forged vaccination documents will be an issue with or without sandbox

 

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by Big Yuley
added

[Burma Bill]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

declare Pattaya and Chonburi as a "sandbox"

 Well I never!!

 

[Big Yuley]

42 minutes ago, Guderian said:

It won't happen because they'll trial it out first on the islands, like Samui and Pha Ngan, and when they find after a month or so that the virus is ripping through the entire population, even if they've been vaccinated, due to new variants arriving in Thailand along with the vaccinated foreigners, they'll realise that it's a huge mistake and shut it down.

 

For a change, Boris and the UK are ahead of the game, they realise the risk in allowing even vaccinated people to travel abroad to who-knows-what may be lurking out there. After their heroic and highly expensive vaccination campaign (£12 billion and counting, compared with the EU's expenditure of less than £2 billion, and yet they still whinge and complain, but what did they expect, cheap idiots) that should soon return large parts of the economy to normality, the UK government won't want to take any risks with new variants arriving against which the vaccines used may be much less effective. Sorry folks, but there won't be any holidays in the sun this year, and Thailand should get used to the idea.

Yes for the UK as they are currently an orange zone country according to Thai government  i wouldnt think they would be eligible.

i would think it would only be for Green Zone countries.

 

 

[eastendanto]

5 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

I would use it (sandbox) to describe silly brainwave ideas politicians come up with !

mice in a maze being studied by the experts ????????????

[cracker1]

Authorities will have no show of preventing tourists leaving Pattaya or the province !

Better to try this option in Samui or Phuket where the island geography would be more manageable.

[sambum]

"Sandbox is a term often reserved for what children play in, notes Thaivisa."

 

Why do they not have them at Immigration? ????

[cracker1]

29 minutes ago, ThaiFelix said:

Why not just charge a surcharge for those not vaccinated, then an extra surcharge if you are infected with  covid??  The situation however becomes problematic when you start adding the very necessary dual pricing (well I think its more like 5 layer pricing now like in the hospitals) with a certain price for tourists, one for migrant workers,  one for Chinese, one for those with mustaches etc etc. 

 

Dont worry about the citizens, just get that foreign capital in by any means!

The surcharge is called "Quarantine !"

[Bangkok Barry]

5 hours ago, najomtiensun said:

Er they mix with locals and the locals can travel Doh !

The level of intelligence, or lack of it is staggering, isn't it. I wonder how these people have enough brain function to breathe. Apart from what you point out, how do they propose to stop us nasty, diseased foreigners from moving around where we aren't wanted? Just incredible. And this guy is a billionaire! He obviously didn't make his money by doing anything that required common sense.

[Nielsk]

As almost always, I see posts from negative grumpy characters. I always wonder what their personal problems are.   Why not show a little optimism provided You at all like Thailand. Must admit I have my doubts occasionally !!!

[bobbin]

The "sandbox" idea being floated does not refer to beach-type sand.

 

It's a computer term that means containing and operating an executable program in "quarantine" so that if it does contain a "virus" it is unable to infect the entire computer and is easily deleted.  Just saying.

 

So the plan, at least the description, is more sophisticated than all posters so far are giving them credit for..

 

I still vote no.

Edited March 23, 2021 by bobbin

[geisha]

The “ sand box” could turn into a sort of “ leper colony “ couldn’t it ? 

[Cadan]

Finally feeling the pain ? Nothing will happen until October at least and most Thais are vaccinated and at ZERO risk