Phuket sandbox and families

[drvin]

I can’t seem to get any official guidance on this subject.  If Phuket opens to vaccinated tourists on July 1, what about families?  Considering that no countries I am aware of are vaccinating children under 12 years old does that mean that families with kids will not be able to visit Phuket without quarantine even if both parents are vaccinated?

[ubonjoe]

Moved to here.

I looked for info about about what the rules were for when they reduced the quarantine to 7 days before but the embassy websites I checked have taken the info down.

It is to early for anybody to know what the rule will be if and when the Phuket sandbox becomes a reality.

[jackdd]

58 minutes ago, drvin said:

I can’t seem to get any official guidance on this subject.  If Phuket opens to vaccinated tourists on July 1, what about families?  Considering that no countries I am aware of are vaccinating children under 12 years old does that mean that families with kids will not be able to visit Phuket without quarantine even if both parents are vaccinated?

Wait until July, then we might have facts.

My prediction is that the Phuket plans get cancelled on short notice.

[DFPhuket]

I live in Phuket, but I have been in the US for three weeks and I'm starting to plan for my return to Thailand. Upon contacting the Thai consulate in Chicago I was told that they are waiting for official word from the government about the Phuket sandbox model and rules related to COE, etc. Until then, it's all pure speculation. 

 

 

[hotandsticky]

19 minutes ago, DFPhuket said:

I live in Phuket, but I have been in the US for three weeks and I'm starting to plan for my return to Thailand. Upon contacting the Thai consulate in Chicago I was told that they are waiting for official word from the government about the Phuket sandbox model and rules related to COE, etc. Until then, it's all pure speculation. 

 

 

 

 

It's happening already in that the requirement NOW is for full vaccination or Covid-free certificate.

 

They should have the process honed by 1st July.

[zzzzz]

29 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

It's happening already in that the requirement NOW is for full vaccination or Covid-free certificate.

 

They should have the process honed by 1st July.

thats DOMESTIC arrivals to Phuket

[hotandsticky]

54 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

thats DOMESTIC arrivals to Phuket

 

 

Correct..........................as I said, a good rehearsal for 1st July and then 1st October.

[CALSinCM]

Phuket will continue to be a ghost town for quite a time regardless of the happy talk. 
I would not want to be the first families to arrive and find themselves hauled to a police station for doing exactly what tourist do:  Gather as a family with friends and traveling companions, relax, eat, drink and enjoy the beach or pool or other sites.  In today's Phuket that can get you arrested, fined, jailed, and publicly humiliated in the Thai press.  I don't see that changing in the short 6 weeks between now and July 1st.  If foreigners come and are literally incarcerated, that bad press will get back to their friends and family and Phuket as well as Thailand in general will be avoided like the Covid plague.
In the meantime there seems to be no guidance or forward planning.  I expect that some snap decision will be made at the 11th hour changing all the happy plans if not adding another layer of regulations and rules.  Why come here right now.  There are other places to travel which are not a faction of the headache bureaucratically.

Edited May 20, 2021 by CALSinCM

[Chicken George]

Everything is sorted till the day before you will fly..????

[oldcpu]

2 hours ago, CALSinCM said:

I would not want to be the first families to arrive and find themselves hauled to a police station for doing exactly what tourist do:  Gather as a family with friends and traveling companions, relax, eat, drink and enjoy the beach or pool or other sites.  In today's Phuket that can get you arrested, fined, jailed, and publicly humiliated in the Thai press.  I don't see that changing in the short 6 weeks between now and July 1st.

Indeed.  .... But I would wager that a number of the current Phuket restrictions will be relaxed for 1-July-2021.  Already Phuket is down to a handful of new virus cases/day (yesterday was ZERO new cases, although I suspect it will be weeks before that is consistently the case) ... and also I note the % people vaccinated in Phuket is up to about 25% and increasing every day.  .... so I am hopeful that restrictions in place now in Phuket, will be relaxed soon.

 

However the point about families (children who are not vaccinated) is a good point, and I think it could present a problem for anyone wanting to visit with a family.

Edited May 20, 2021 by oldcpu

[oldcpu]

In this topic, my Thai wife sent me the image attached to this thread.   I don't know where she got it from.  I did a google image search and it gave me a twitter thread (

) but I suspect there is a much more official source of the information.

[nickc]

We have started a new group on phuket sandbox. Official information and info graphics from the TAT, Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Council of Thailand. Also contributing is hoteliers and agents who have been involved in the opening. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/388875605677294/

[DrJack54]

55 minutes ago, nickc said:

. Official information and info graphics from the TAT, Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Council of Thailand. Also contributing is hoteliers and agents who have been involved in the opening

These groups are pretty much lobby groups for vested interest groups.

In another post in another thread you state the sand box WILL happen. The capital's on the WILL are yours

Admire the optimistic approach. Will you refund folks lost flights etc if doesn't happen.

Doubt it will happen.