Songkran tourists arrive at Koh Samui for long holiday

[webfact]

 

By Sirakij Pornbanggird

   

SURAT THANI (NNT) - During the Songkran Festival many places will be welcoming a large number of tourists. One of them is Koh Samui. Tourists have today been waiting for ferries since early morning, causing the ferry operator to add more trips to reduce the congestion.

 

At the ferry pier of the Sea Transfer Company, a lot of cars and trucks were lined up to cross the water to Koh Samui as Songkran is coming. The company also added to the number of ferry crossings to make it one trip per hour to reduce tourist congestion, while operating from 5 AM to 7 PM. However, if the demand rises, the ferries can travel as frequently as one trip per half hour.

 

Meanwhile, the pier has developed an application for ferry trip booking and ferry timetable checking to facilitate the arrival of tourists and avoid the buildup at the ticket office. People who cross to Koh Samui will be required to have their temperature taken, and wear a face mask at all times. Pier officers also request tourists’ travel history, and if they are from red zones, they will be sent to have a COVID-19 test. A tourist with a negative result can continue the trip.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-04-12

 

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[RichardColeman]

10 minutes ago, webfact said:

People who cross to Koh Samui will be required to have their temperature taken, and wear a face mask at all times. Pier officers also request tourists’ travel history, and if they are from red zones, they will be sent to have a COVID-19 test. A tourist with a negative result can continue the trip.

Anyone else see the flaw in asking someone where they travelled from an getting an honest reply ?

[bluesofa]

46 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Anyone else see the flaw in asking someone where they travelled from an getting an honest reply ?

Surely an honest reply will mean less tourists. They don't want that.

[topt]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

and if they are from red zones, they will be sent to have a COVID-19 test. A tourist with a negative result can continue the trip.

And just how long does it take to get a result back?

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

During the Songkran Festival many places will be welcoming a large number of tourists. One of them is Koh Samui. Tourists have today been waiting for ferries since early morning, causing the ferry operator to add more trips to reduce the congestion

Let the party begin... and the infections rise... best of luck.

[Tropicalevo]

5 hours ago, topt said:

And just how long does it take to get a result back?

Next day.

But you have to go to the hospital.

No phone call - negative test.

 

[Tropicalevo]

8 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Anyone else see the flaw in asking someone where they travelled from an getting an honest reply ?

I said a similar thing to my business partner.

She said that Thais have an address on their Id card and their DL.

Problem is that they do not always live at that address!

Edited April 12, 2021 by Tropicalevo

[KhunBENQ]

Wish I could be there.

[huberthammer]

On 4/12/2021 at 5:21 AM, RichardColeman said:

Anyone else see the flaw in asking someone where they travelled from an getting an honest reply ?

During the second wave the Suratthani government made it clear that anybody testing positive would be investigated and if found to have lied about his previous whereabouts they would prosecute him (including prison sentences). Not sure if this is enough of a deterrent but I would not take my chances for the sake of avoiding a Covid test.

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, huberthammer said:

During the second wave the Suratthani government made it clear that anybody testing positive would be investigated and if found to have lied about his previous whereabouts they would prosecute him (including prison sentences). Not sure if this is enough of a deterrent but I would not take my chances for the sake of avoiding a Covid test.

 

You might if you were only going to be here for two or three nights. (This is how long most Thais stay.)