Anutin: Phuket Sandbox remains on course - three tests for already vaccinated foreign tourists - 14 days on island

[pokerface1]

6 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

I keep pointing out one huge hole no one can answer.. 

When a Thai national tries to leave the sandbox, via road or sea, how can anyone determine if he is a local Thai national or a Sandbox arrival ?? A local Thai national need not carry any passport (hence immigration stamps) or must have any tracking apps. There is no way to determine this !! The same to a lesser extent for local expats and domestic non Thais, of course they can be demanded to have the passport but many travel without one. But telling a sandbox arrival from a domestic traveler, especially later on when this involves 10s of 1000s of arrivals has not been addressed in any way. 

I mean they are not building a system based 100% on trusting Thai word are they ?? 

Every time I raise this in the various sandbox groups which are talking and planning with local government all I get is an 'err yeah.. good point'.. 

The Devil is in the details which we never get. They have to move past the flip flopping stage before more detailed information can be decide on. So those reasonably astute will just keep waiting and waiting. 

Give all the holes in their plan some of which you have pointed out give me the impression that once you arrive at your hotel you will never leave at least not until your credit card is rejected. 

Perhaps reason for so many tests is to get a positive or they may falsify a result just to keep you in the hotel, don't forget how desperate they have all become with no tourists for many months.

The mindset need to be, plan for the worst and hope for the best scenario give the lack of details we have to work with. 

[James105]

Quote

The commitee also noted and agreed with changes in the law to allow fines for non-mask wearing in public to be 1,000 baht for the first offence, 1-10,000 baht for the second and from 10,000 but no more than 20,000 baht for the third. 

 

Double vaccinated, arriving from a low/moderate risk country, tested before departure and on arrival,  no bars open, no restaurants selling alcohol, no drinking on the beach, no genuine choice of where to stay, and despite all of this they felt the need to add this little sweetener.    If I had a business in Phuket I would have needed to get a builder in to repair the damage to my wall from banging my head on it by now.   

[bermondburi]

6 minutes ago, Excel said:

Not exactly but my wish would be that all those whom exhibit selfish traits and do not care whether they transmit the disease or otherwise should perhaps consider Mars as there next holiday destination.

The Thai government is saying they want tourists to go to Phuket. You can't blame them for doing so. Presumably you live there. If you don't want the risk of mingling with vaccinated travellers suggest you go elsewhere.

[pizzachang]

6 hours ago, blackcab said:

Several countries also require a covid test within 72 hours of returning home.

I suspect most other countries give tests for free. This makes the most sense.....if a particular country actually wants to prevent covid 19 infections. The mass poor of any country are not likely to pay for a test and will also avoid a hospital, unless they are feeling so bad that they think they're dying. The survival rate is so high, that (IMO) most will risk not paying for an expensive test anyway.

[Excel]

Just now, bermondburi said:

The Thai government is saying they want tourists to go to Phuket. You can't blame them for doing so. Presumably you live there. If you don't want the risk of mingling with vaccinated travellers suggest you go elsewhere.

I do not live there. But I feel sorry for the unvaccinated locals who stand to be at risk from infection by inconsiderate and selfish tourists whose only thoughts are for themselves.

[CharlieH]

Reported "flame" post removed.

[newnative]

    Totally unworkable.  No actual tourists will put up with 3 tests and being confined to one place for 14 days.  Complete waste of time.  Might get some returnees.  

[LivinLOS]

39 minutes ago, Madeline Thompson said:

To add to discussion:  a friend of mine tried to get a visa at London's Thai Embassy and they had never heard of the Phuket Sandbox scheme, only what they had read in the news.  There was no such visa....   uhm... I am baffled.

 

Of course until it is published in the royal gazette, there is no scheme.. Only plans for a scheme. 

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, LivinLOS said:

 

Of course until it is published in the royal gazette, there is no scheme.. Only plans for a scheme. 

The plot thickens my dear boy, Moriarty is at the helm.... that's PM for professor Moriarty.

Edited June 15, 2021 by ThailandRyan

[KhunMorris]

1 minute ago, newnative said:

    Totally unworkable.  No actual tourists will put up with 3 tests and being confined to one place for 14 days.  Complete waste of time.  Might get some returnees.  

 

You'll get the usual 'Champs' that head straight to Pattaya and don't leave Soi 6 for 14 days. We all know the type. Come rain or shine they need their annual fix of cheap brass.

 

The whole idea and implementation is utterly ridiculous. They still haven't provided details of what VACCINE CERTIFICATION is required. 200 odd countries provide 200 different types. I can really see Somchai accepting some handwritten letter in Finnish, Urdu or similar. Laughable.

 

Regards

 

MORRIS

Speaks Thai and Laos

[LivinLOS]

1 hour ago, Thalueng said:

I guess everyone arriving on an international flight carries a passport and gets registered in the nation wide database. I guess when leaving the sandbox after 2 weeks you will get registered on exit in the computer, with a stamp in the passport or some other certificate. Foreigners are required to carry their passport in Thailand at all times, not only in the sandbox, not only during covid, pretty sure this will be enforced at the sandbox border. Yes, you're right, you can't tell the difference between local Thais and Thais who arrived from abroad. However, if they do not clear to leave the sandbox they might in fact get into trouble as this can easily be followed up. And I further guess that local Thais do not carry suitcases when crossing the sandbox border, where international arrivals likely do. And, most Thais follow instructions from the government more diligently than foreigners often do, at least that's my experience in this country. Is it bullet proof? It's not, but I would finally guess it's good enough to give it a try.

'Most thais' ?? Possibly 'carrying a suitcase'.. 

Sorry but thats not a system.. thats hope and prayer.. 

My point is, once they have a defined sandbox, they need an actual system of controlling exit from the sandbox.. It feels like theres a lot of consideration being given to how to control non Thais but none I can see on how to control Thai arrivals. 

 

[LivinLOS]

3 hours ago, Cranky said:

Who on earth nicknamed this 'The Sandbox? An area associated with the Middle East that is about as savoury as worms for breakfast.

 

Actually makes perfect sense.. 

 

What does sandbox mean?
isolated testing environment
A sandbox is an isolated testing environment that enables users to run programs or execute files without affecting the application, system or platform on which they run. ... Without sandboxing, an application or other system proc

 

What does sandbox mean in business?
c business : a controlled environment supervised by a regulatory authority within which existing regulations are relaxed or removed to allow businesses to more freely experiment with new products and services The sandbox enables the development of telemedicine services with close monitoring of all aspects of safety

 

 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sandbox

[Advocatus Diaboli]

5 hours ago, carabaothai said:

COE before the flight

SHA+ hotels

Bars, entertainments closed

Masks all the day in public zone (beaches also?)

3 tests or more at 3000-4000 thb and one more to flight back 

covid insurance around 3000 or more depends of your country and how long you stay

Risk to be tested positive and stay 15 days in hospital

Maybe quarantine when you arrive back home country (since today Belgium has said that Thailand is a red country for Covid)

 

The best holidays you never had ????????????????

You forgot too the Valid Visa you will need to get from the Embassy as well. At this time is there tourist visa being issued? Surely this will take some time if your not in a city with a Thai Embassy.

[Dart12]

43 minutes ago, bermondburi said:

 

Ganja?

 

 

But a small chance of a vaccinated person passing it on is still a lot less of a chance than an unvaccinated person passing it on. And there are millions of unvaccinated people walking around in Thailand, so what's the difference. 

 

And what do you suggest. No one travels anywhere ever again? 

yeah. free weed in Washington State.

Vax's don't create some kind of magic powered force field.  You either carry the virus or you don't.  Contagious level remains the same.  Vaxed people get  and carry covid and give covid.

Quit travel? lock in home?  Absolutely not.  I think there was legitimate fear in the beginning.  I think as time passed, governments have exploited this for them and their puppet masters gains instead of treating it at the level it's known to be.  Millions of lives could have been saved, but were not, just for this exploitation as well.

You are free to have a differing opinion.  This is just mine.

 

[HappyinNE]

Too bad that gambling is illegal in Thailand.  A pool on the number of "tourists" arriving in the first week would be interesting.  Also the one on arrivals in one month.

[Mavideol]

and the contradictions keep coming

 

TV and Phuket News 2 days ago

 

Tourism minister: Phuket unlikely to be ready for "sandbox" opening

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

7 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

What a circus. I live in a Thai village, no foreigners to be seen. The locals are desperate. These are normal people who do normal work with daily expenses. It is a powder keg ready to......(fill in the gap).

 

And they'll do what? The people are powerless, as the dozens of mass protests in Bangkok demonstrated over the past year. Achieved absolutely nothing.

[anon7854]

Can you imagine arriving on the airport just to be notified the sandbox has been canceled ????

And after 10-15 minutes of conflicting information you don't know if you need to go back or stay.

Because I imagine this will happen lol

[Dart12]

5 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

and the contradictions keep coming

 

TV and Phuket News 2 days ago

 

Tourism minister: Phuket unlikely to be ready for "sandbox" opening

 

 

common sense says it's open but no one gonna go with all entertainment venues closed, including having a drink at a restaurant.

You could even eliminate the hurdles and no one wants to go to that.

[bermondburi]

41 minutes ago, Excel said:

I do not live there. But I feel sorry for the unvaccinated locals who stand to be at risk from infection by inconsiderate and selfish tourists whose only thoughts are for themselves.

So tourists should not visit anywhere until 100% of the local population is vaccinated?

 

Nowhere in the planet is suggesting that as a strategy. 

 

The general consensus is that herd immunity among the local population should be achieved. Much like the sandbox scheme.

[taxin]

7 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

I keep pointing out one huge hole no one can answer.. 

When a Thai national tries to leave the sandbox, via road or sea, how can anyone determine if he is a local Thai national or a Sandbox arrival ?? A local Thai national need not carry any passport (hence immigration stamps) or must have any tracking apps. There is no way to determine this !! The same to a lesser extent for local expats and domestic non Thais, of course they can be demanded to have the passport but many travel without one. But telling a sandbox arrival from a domestic traveler, especially later on when this involves 10s of 1000s of arrivals has not been addressed in any way. 

I mean they are not building a system based 100% on trusting Thai word are they ?? 

Every time I raise this in the various sandbox groups which are talking and planning with local government all I get is an 'err yeah.. good point'.. 

 

The answer is very simple. First of all by law a Thai must always be in possession of a Thai ID card, so they may be asked to present theIr ID when arriving/departing Phuket by land however, it is very unlikely they will be stoped at all.

 

I personally know of 2 Thai people who have entered Phuket by land over the last week or so, one driving from Hua Hin and the other from Krabi, both were waved through by the border police and not even stopped.

 

So in short to your question, the border control staff at the land crossing will be turning a blind eye to Thais coming in & out, they will probably do the same with foreigners, they will just presume the foreigner has already done his 14 days stay.

 

As I have said before, this is all just a show, by August/September I expect all these conditions will probably be gone, or still be in place but not strictly enforced. Phuket just needs to show during the early stages that it’s serious about keeping the virus out.

[nightfox]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

They would need to remain on the island for 14 days. Then, provided they did not have Covid-19, they would be free to exit the province and go to other parts of Thailand. 

I don't think these simple minded fools realize the average vacation time for many in the West is 2 weeks per year. Unlike Thailand where its seems there's a holiday and people going on vacation every other week.

[thailandheron]

2 hours ago, kangaloowest said:

Can anyone tell me, what price these so-called

"Specially Approved Hotels cost??"

 

Cheers in advance

They start from about 800 baht a night. There maybe even cheaper ones than that.

[Bedfont]

Anutin is dreaming again. He lives in La La land. No way are tourists going to come and put up with all this <deleted> to sit on a lonely beach. No nightlife as bars are shut. Why do they keep feeding us this hopeful BS? Get real <deleted>.

[Genix]

8 hours ago, zzzzz said:

3 tests >
who pays?   3,000 baht/test>>  dam

 

am sure the couple of hundred "tourists" will enjoy the island 

 

Many would gladly pay $300 for that. You'd be surprised how desperate many are to travel after 1.5 years of lockdown.

Places that are opening have shown to be recovering faster than expected. 

[RichardColeman]

This years and next years borrowing has been agreed on based on tourists arriving this year and next year pretty much in full. I think the borrowing is either going to get out of hand and the government all resign and leave the huge society debt to an 'elected government' or Thailand is going to have adjust its borrowing for next year to double and create a credible tax collection system

[Bedfont]

20 minutes ago, HappyinNE said:

Too bad that gambling is illegal in Thailand.  A pool on the number of "tourists" arriving in the first week would be interesting.  Also the one on arrivals in one month.

Gambling, Cannabis and even Prostitution is illegal. Come on boys, do something good. Make this place attractive and maybe tourists will come. As it is very, very few will come.

[bolt]

I’m sooo looking forward to this Sandbox

1.       I’ve never been to Phuket

2.       My wife has never been also, so she’ll fly in domestically from BKK

3.       I’ve completed 1 ASQ in Bangkok and it was tough going

4.       I’ve also completed 1 ALQ in Pattaya North road, that seemed tougher than the previous in Bangkok

5.       The idea of being allowed outside of your room is great, restaurants will be open, it won’t be full on High season but places are open, plenty of tea being served in pots

6.       I wonder how many posters on here have actually completed an ASQ-ALQ, if they have how would they compare the sandbox idea compred to ASQ-ALQ

7.       The 14 days is too long, but hey ho, some of my work colleagues won’t be home for 8-12 months, their so jealous of me going to Phuket.

[cedel]

5 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

take a really close look at this graphic. get out your red pencil. 

 

 

AstraZeneca needs normally 2 doses or 1 dose only is somebody has had and recoverred from Covid, the only vaccin that does not require a  2nd dose is Johnson&Johnson, not AZ !

[JackGats]

So it's 3 tests now instead of 2 during a normal ASQ. Tests as a money-making machine for labs. Mind you, not just in TH. labs are earning more money than airlines right now in the world.