Phuket Sandbox: All tourists to wear location tracking wristbands

[bolt]

20 minutes ago, Hanuman2547 said:

This is a very poorly planned idea.  Few tourists are going to come to Phuket knowing that they are going to be GPS monitored (and who knows what else) during their stay on Phuket during the 14 day quarantine.  Tourists will cancel their plans and seek another holiday destination that is less restrictive.

Where in the so called free world are we NOT monitored with GPS tracking

[Hanuman2547]

21 minutes ago, bolt said:

Where in the so called free world are we NOT monitored with GPS tracking

It seems the Thais want to take it to another level and be more direct with a wrist band solely for GPS tracking.  However you are correct in that we are indirectly tracked by our phones, smart watches, smart TV's, laptops, ipads, our cars, etc. 

[Gandtee]

59 minutes ago, BobinBKK said:

Here is yet another deterrent to traveling to Phuket. It appears that tar balls are covering many of the beaches on the island as reported the the "Thaiger" media outlet.

 

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/environment/tar-balls-wash-ashore-on-several-phuket-beaches

Sit on the beach and get tar balls in your sandbox! There's nothing worse!????

[bolt]

9 minutes ago, Hanuman2547 said:

It seems the Thais want to take it to another level and be more direct with a wrist band solely for GPS tracking.  However you are correct in that we are indirectly tracked by our phones, smart watches, smart TV's, laptops, ipads, our cars, etc. 

My point is related to various applications required now worldwide for checking in to places for example Thai Chana Morchana, where I work we have an tracking app linked to your location, resident ID, PCR tests  and it also shows your vaccination records.

 

Tracking technology will become normal. And I don’t mean concealed or veiled tracking, its full on visible “you are being tracked’

We will protest about it, but eventually accept it, we will always find ways around it.

 

We have to wear a tracking watch for 1^st 10 days when we are in the country even though we’re vaccinated, the watch can only be removed at government centre.

[Captain Monday]

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

You can do that at home... why fly around the world at huge expense to do the same?

Because it beats 15 nights in a room in BKK. Did it already in January.

I'm not interested in touristic activities whatsoever I would not go to Phuket except to

try out this novel scheme. 

[GeilGeilertzen]

Welcome to Alcatraz

[inThailand]

1 hour ago, Gandtee said:

Sit on the beach and get tar balls in your sandbox! There's nothing worse!????

 

Yup, what can be worse than a tarred and feathered 

holiday? 

[GeilGeilertzen]

On 6/17/2021 at 4:18 AM, sqwakvfr said:

Important detail is "how much for the tracking bracelet if the tourist loses it or fails to return it?'.  5,000, 10,000 Baht???  Or will the bracelet be a graduation gift for passing the "Sandbox" not a quarantine that is a quarantine?  

A gift to farang..? 
Have you ever heard of a river running upwards? ????????????

[BusyB]

18 hours ago, orchidfan said:

Vaccinated friends of mine in Hong Kong have just gone to Bali.

Had to do 7 days in a Q hotel in Jakarta first, then free to go to Bali with no further restrictions  .

 

So that makes Jakarta/Bali a potential border hop for a new TR visa next year maybe ... mmmmh ... never been there ... keep an eye on that ...

[timberpond]

Twenty over years ago while I was a young teen. I got so wrong with the law but was too young to be place in prison. I was sentenced to 2 years probation with curfew hours and community work. They put a device on my ankle to track whether I was home on time. I hated that thing every minute for that 2 years duration. 

 

Anyone coming must be really extremely desperate or simply don't have a choice. Tourist? I don't see the value for money. 

[zhounan]

People who passively accept this form of surveillance do not think about what they are helping to make ordinary practice.

Edited June 18, 2021 by zhounan

[Greenwich Boy]

22 hours ago, grubman said:

I am currently out of Thailand working and will be returning late August, i am fully vaccinated  and was hoping that Phuket would be an easier way to return home with out having to do the 14 days quarantine in a hotel in Bangkok which i have have done already in November of  last year, with all these regulation i am think it is best to just do my quarantine in Bangkok again, i don't want to be tracked 24/7 and to have to do a total of 4 PCR test is ridiculous, the cost will be high, however my company pays for my quarantine but in Bangkok the tests are included in the quarantine hotel prices. so lets hope in the mext couple of months maybe somethings will change, but i am getting a good laugh out of the daily flipping and flopping 

I bit the bullet and did 15 days ASQ at the end of May. A mate of mine was going to do the same but thought I was an idiot not to wait for the grand opening of Phuket. I am now back in Chiang Mai and he is booking a hotel for next week in Bangkok!

[Espanol]

On 6/17/2021 at 4:16 AM, Captain Monday said:

You can take your meal in your room and buy alcohol at a mini-mart,

or has consumption of the "devils brew" been completely banned for the duration of ones stay in the sandbox?

 

Yes. My dreamt holidays: staying in my hotel room for lunch while drinking beer alone.

[Espanol]

Will wristband be "everything included" like in Dominican Republic?

[Espanol]

On 6/17/2021 at 4:22 AM, Excel said:

Guess the next free gift to the tourist will be an orange jump suit

 

But it will not be free: you will have to pay for wristband, orange suit and complete "welcome set", same as you pay for PCR.

[Espanol]

And, what happens with divers.

Many divers go to Phuket in holidays, since Phuket is a diving paradise.

 

Will wristband be waterproof 50 meters deep?

[Espanol]

On 6/17/2021 at 8:54 AM, Trujillo said:

Actually, Google knows where you are ... or your phone, which is more or less "you," so who cares? 

 

But I can leave phone inboard the ship while I dive.

Will wristband be waterproof?

[kimamey]

On 6/17/2021 at 3:01 AM, WineOh said:

how will they advertise this back in the UK at your local travel agents?

 

Holiday in Phuket whilst wearing a police tag.
your movements will be tracked by Thai officials day and night

No wine or beer with your meal and definitely no clubbing.

 

Walking around is allowed providing you wear your mask or face a 20,000 baht fine.

terms and conditions subject to change without any prior warning.

 

hardly appetizing is it????

 

 

Any idea of the time for lights outs? Also will there be separate male and female dormitories?

 

[kimamey]

3 hours ago, Greenwich Boy said:

I bit the bullet and did 15 days ASQ at the end of May. A mate of mine was going to do the same but thought I was an idiot not to wait for the grand opening of Phuket. I am now back in Chiang Mai and he is booking a hotel for next week in Bangkok!

It might not be that long before I'm thinking the same. There is the possibility that there will be low numbers of visitors which will mean the tourist industry in Phuket won't recover and there will be fewer infections which might bring about a change of rules. 

[Jiggo]

HMP Phuket.....will they have to wear stripey shirts and carry a bag of swag as well.

[spidermike007]

With the curve not flattening at all here, and new clusters emerging, it is the foreign tourist who is at risk here. The Thais have a far greater chance of an infection than from one of their own, than from a foreign tourist, who has been fully vaccinated with a quality vaccine (as opposed to the Sinojunk), and tested negative. 

 

So, what gives? There should be no restrictions, rather than this draconian BS, which will whittle down the number who come to a few thousand, over the entire summer. 

 

Just more hubris from the wrecking crew. 

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Think I go to Reunion island instead. No silly rules, free hospitals for EU citizens, stay as long as you want, similar climate as Phuket in the Indian Ocean and much cheaper western food and wine compared to Thailand. Great beaches with no plastics, beautiful mountains, great fishing and diving and European standard infrastructure, total cost less than Phuket per month.      

[chaihot]

14 hours ago, Espanol said:

And, what happens with divers.

Many divers go to Phuket in holidays, since Phuket is a diving paradise.

 

Will wristband be waterproof 50 meters deep?

Diving is prohibited.  Fish might get Covid.

 

LOL

[Excel]

I guess some people know what a Faraday cage is. So just a double layer of aluminium foil over the tracking device will sort it.

[Greenwich Boy]

14 hours ago, kimamey said:

It might not be that long before I'm thinking the same. There is the possibility that there will be low numbers of visitors which will mean the tourist industry in Phuket won't recover and there will be fewer infections which might bring about a change of rules. 

Purely my personal view as a not overly social individual but ASQ was not a problem. I paid one price, conversed with staff via Line and the whole show was efficiently organised.

We have no idea what will be open or not in Phuket but let's assume options are limited. For me the thought of possibly being herded from one 'authorised' eating place to another with maybe Farang prices and cash strapped locals hovering like vultures has all the appeal of a state run Chinese bus tour. I hope I am wrong as the locals need the tourists back but, as it stands, not for me.

[thaisail]

The only ones who will come and accept a GPS tracking bracelet will be the Chinese who are used to this type of surveillance!

[metisdead]

Some troll posts have been removed.

[kimamey]

11 hours ago, Greenwich Boy said:

Purely my personal view as a not overly social individual but ASQ was not a problem. I paid one price, conversed with staff via Line and the whole show was efficiently organised.

We have no idea what will be open or not in Phuket but let's assume options are limited. For me the thought of possibly being herded from one 'authorised' eating place to another with maybe Farang prices and cash strapped locals hovering like vultures has all the appeal of a state run Chinese bus tour. I hope I am wrong as the locals need the tourists back but, as it stands, not for me.

Well as a recommendation for ASQ hotels in Bangkok that's pretty good. I hope you're getting paid.  ????????

 

More seriously I'd agree with you to a certain extent. I could do without constant social interaction and a lack of alcohol is no problem at all. I would be a whole lot happier if if I was able to go out and walk even with a mask but obviously that's not possible. My main issue with any of the quarantine is that I'm not that keen on spending money on a hotel for just myself and not my wife. When the 7 day option in Phuket was put forward the possibility of her joining me looked a good idea. We have other plans for the holiday she has built up so just 5 days was ok plus we noticed there were some holidays in July that we could use to cover some of that. The other problem that's appeared is that we think she would have to quarantine at home for 10 days when she returns to Mahasarakham so that would be more holiday gone. Her boss actually lives just outside Bangkok but he seems to go home and return to Mahasarakham without this quarantine but we don't know right now how this works.

 

I may just end up going back either through Bangkok or Phuket just to get home. I might be able go to the neighbouring province of Buriram as there's one hotel that's ASQ registered.  I've no idea why.  ????

[bolt]

I’ve done 2 ASQ’s

I’m going to Phuket, no way will I do anther ASQ

I don’t care about cost, hopefully this will be my first and last visit to Phuket

I’ll return to work September, back to Thailand December, who knows what awaits in December

[Captain Monday]

On 6/18/2021 at 9:53 AM, zhounan said:

People who passively accept this form of surveillance do not think about what they are helping to make ordinary practice.

Unless very careful with settings and use patterns,  everybody does it voluntarily. Traced with ruthless efficiency. There are cameras using face recognition tech in many countries, Do divers take their original passports underwater as "required at all times by Thai law" There will be common sense.  There may be rare incidences of prejudices encountered when wearing an identifying bracelet, in Thailand I get treated differently anyway. Not concerned, but for what will they charge tourists for this essential service ?