Laem Singh Beach, Phuket. The Covid pandemic has wrecked the regional economy. Photograph: Imagebroker/Alamy

 

Rebecca Ratcliffe

 

Thai region hopes jabs and ‘sandbox’ scheme will allow tourists to return and rejuvenate economy

 

In normal times, the convention centre at Phuket’s Angsana Laguna resort hosts extravagant weddings and luxury business summits. Since April, it has served as one of seven centres on the frontline of the island’s Covid vaccination campaign. Behind the room’s white satin curtains, medical staff in hair nets and blue aprons administer 1,800 doses each day.

 

The island is racing to vaccinate as many people as possible in the hope that, if 70% of the population are vaccinated before 1 July, Phuket will become the first Thai destination to reopen to foreign tourists.

 

If the island can build its immunity, it could soon come back to life again, said infectious disease nurse Bang-orn Rungruang, who is helping to coordinate vaccines at the Angsana Convention and Exhibition Space. The pandemic, she said, had devastated the island’s businesses. “It was like a domino effect. With no tourists coming into Phuket, the economy just collapsed: no buyers, no sellers.”

 

Full story: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/20/devastated-phuket-in-race-to-vaccinate-70-of-islanders-in-time-for-holiday-season

 

-- © Copyright The Guardian 2021-06-21

 

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3 hours ago, webfact said:

The island is racing to vaccinate as many people as possible in the hope that, if 70% of the population are vaccinated before 1 July, Phuket will become the first Thai destination to reopen to foreign tourists.

If the people are not vaccinated now they have failed, it takes two weeks following the second jab before people are fully protected

if there was as much urgency to get Moderna or Pfizer available for expats in time for the re-opening, I would support it. Otherwise, I do not.

July 1 opening for tourists, Sandbox model good to go, Phuket will be 70% vaccinated, holiday season, Airport has full dress rehearsals in preparation for influx of foreign tourists, nothing but false hopes deception and lies, when July 1st comes and goes August 1st comes and goes then September 1st comes and goes maybe then and ONLY then will they realise that no one is coming, maybe you will get long term expats returning but tourists are not coming and subjecting themselves to 14 days of restrictions, pcr test prior to flying, 3 pcr tests during your stay (own expense)having to have Covid insurance( for what?) COE, 80% of businesses closed, alcohol restrictions, restrictions on number of people at gatherings and too top it off wear a tracking device.

DELUSIONAL 

7 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

And has seemingly still not hit the sites such as US Embassy, which in turn distribute COE, if Im still following this mess correctly...not even sure..10 days left and no real office of power outside Phuket has confirmed this "plan"or attempt at saving face...has been quite a sadly unexpected crumbling of what seemed like a good "idea"

 

Thailand you are more than welcome to prove me wrong......as we sit and wait to get back, with some signs of structure and commitment from you...10 days til this site blows up on a July 1 Phuket thread to give all the best burger and thai girls a run for their money...(stocks up on popcorn and sangsom)

If I am following correctly then nothing will appear in Embassy sites until (if!) it is posted in the Royal Gazette 

Just watched a report on Sky News which effectively mirrored the Guardian article. It contained before and after-covid images and made the place look attractive to tourists both as a place to holiday and to help the stricken locals.

 

They paid a vivit to Koh Panyee, where the village headman was lamenting the lack of tourists and was hoping the opening of Phuket. But my thought were that this is on Phangna and as such will probably be out of bounds for the Sandbox tourists.

 

Tiger Muay Thai was also featured and maybe they might get some business out of the initiative as they attract quite a few long-termers.

 

What the report didn't mention, of course, was the hoops that have to be jumped through and the restrictions that will be in place.

 

Useful publicity nonetheless.

They are racing to replicate what Seychelles has experienced.

 

I truly hope I am wrong about this.  But I get the feeling that the Titanic II's captain has issued the "Full Steam Ahead!" order after the report about icebergs from Titanic I that he may or may not have heard.  And this is all without taking the Delta variant into consideration.  Still, after so many months, there is no urgency to bring in the mRNA vaccines that have been shown to work far better than other vaccines.

 

Is it because the government is afraid of causing China to lose face?  If so it's a helluva risk to be taking (again and again) for the benefit of another country.  Costa Rica recently refused a shipment of Sino-whatever because of doubts about its efficacy. At least now the PM wouldn't be the first to see the light and act accordingly.

36 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

Seems they are wise enough from exp to keep tight lipped on this topic...as the embassy emailed me and seemed to distance themselves from it....they are really taking the "official" word down to june 30 at midnight????

That should then give you just about enough time over night to book your flights, book your hotel, arrange emergency PCR test, get your COE done, pack your bags and jump on a flight on 1st July. Happy days.

 

To be fair I belive they will meet today and if it is finally approved it would then be in RG around 22nd or 23rd June 

correct me if im wrong, I read the other day only 28% of the Phuket population have had their 2nd jab and it's now the 21st I thought it takes two weeks for the jab to become effective 

Does that 28% include the farang who cant even get the first jab?

"Devastated Phuket" will remain devastated ad-infinitum as will all tourism venues.  It will only return to a semblance of pre-"pandemic" normal even if they drop all restrictions and regulations - which they will never again do.  We're now living in a Philip K. Dick dystopia where the authoritarians will consolidate power and keep projecting that power to limit the activities and freedoms of the public in the name of <enter a global or regional emergency> as dictatorial 'emergency powers' becomes the new form of governance. 
What fun is unlimited power if you can not wield it? 
"You'll own nothing and you'll be happy", promises our WEF overseers.  Coming soon.

People still get Covid post vaccination, and then you have all the variants which I believe these vaccines do not cover.

 

https://www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n1127?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=de28dd5daa43b50a0bbbe6d0e5064f0fd4e127b4-1624246659-0-AQV6dRBeqEgnukWOO9tvefPtEgfxSkoLpFTZMEJGIEZ-B4W9GH_qKMVkJPBIL55JzGqX2VHbRfYbukAtOhd6Pu8PEHddwubaX9_LOWMB3zjRWzX-EBPL5Ev5BPNBVW8Nfb8ftoxkJZraUi-wWRwRGa8Dwz3FQTpI9clU5EacQPHP4jzJxlezCCtAwkoqHNMTMWABpoMouXhL_P4-v3KTvlYmSjFVPRAWLb8p7VtJM39d8lwFaxQJbiFaiUUv48AD6ESWvu6TUf7VPUx3qWxz5WZV-zPIHfA0mIgUQNMBL_D9MuecGg91ohS4XHH4JEiWfr4Wpjou9KAkivZoEiAqIwYHNaxntmpGCPiOxVeNbegaM0wiKyPKgNT4szqXy8xIHH4cXU5Zk7GC2ghHmE9avuJArF0gyuNDLDwWswQQrUyy

Phuket in race to vaccinate

 

let me reword that 

 

 

Phuket in "race row" with vaccine rollout 

 

and so is all of Thailand 

 

That is of course if a viable effective vaccine could be found in the country against emerging variants.

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The island is racing to vaccinate as many people as possible in the hope that, if 70% of the population are vaccinated before 1 July, Phuket will become the first Thai destination to reopen to foreign tourists.
 

If the island can build its immunity, it could soon come back to life again, said infectious disease nurse Bang-orn Rungruang, who is helping to coordinate vaccines at the Angsana Convention and Exhibition Space.

It's the 21st June today, and according to this article the 1st July reopening still seems to be an "if" - if it is so, I fully understand, if people by now havn't bought tickets and booked accommodation for their Phuket-summer holiday...????

3 hours ago, ChipButty said:

correct me if im wrong, I read the other day only 28% of the Phuket population have had their 2nd jab and it's now the 21st I thought it takes two weeks for the jab to become effective 

Does that 28% include the farang who cant even get the first jab?

I agree, the writing in the OP is sloppy.  2 Shots, correctly spaced, are needed and then another 2 weeks to achieve a full antibody response.  this takes about 14 weeks minimum. To get herd immunity then at least 70 %  of a population needs 2 shots and 2 weeks.

Just a note on Phuket planning to re open. If I were to go there I would certainly still wear my mask

when i was close to other people, out of caution.      Look at the USA. There was a video of a crowd of

people in a sports arena watching a football game, and I did not see a mask on hardly anyone. This is a 

country were there are lots of people who are red necks who have not been vaccinated, yet have been allowed to 

be in that crowd.     I am waiting for 2 to 3 weeks to go by and hear of many more hospital visits by sick people,

even those who have had their 2 shots, just because of the likely hood of the spread of COVID from some of the

crowd of yelling cheering people in the stands.    I am hoping that at least 50 percent of Thailand will have had 2 shots

by December.  Being cautious may sound silly, but being dead is not too much fun either.  Think about it, and stay healthy

over there.

Geezer

Useless, with all the hoops no one is coming.

Just because there are not enough days left in the calendar to come close to achieving 70% fully vaccinated by July 1st doesn't mean it isn't somehow possible in Thailand. Remember they have their own PM 2.5 standard that is different than the rest of the world too. Thai people have superior lungs, and immune systems that allow these variances.

Phuket painted itself into a corner by pulling this 70 percent vaccine level out of their...hat. 

 

If a person enters Thailand (or anywhere else for that matter) fully vaccinated, they are neutral with regards the virus. They are not carriers nor susceptible to infection.  This is the ENTIRE reason vaccines are created and used. 

 

The vaccine levels are irrelevant if the vaccines work, and no one says they don't work.