Phuket Sandbox rules tweaked

[webfact]

 

By The Phuket News

 

PHUKET: The rules for vaccinated foreign tourists to enter Thailand from tomorrow (July 1) under the ‘Phuket Sandbox’ scheme have been published in the Royal Gazette, with some changes and clarifications to several important rules for tourists wanting to come to Thailand.

 

Phuket Governor Naron Woonciew announced the publication of the Sandbox rules in the Royal gazette during a live broadcast online this morning (June 30).

 

“From the measures announced by the Royal Gazette yesterday, there are three main topics, which are the measures for tourists before coming to Thailand, the measures for tourists while staying in Thailand, and the measures for tourists before leaving Thailand,” he said.

 

Planning to visit Phuket? Book your Sandbox hotel here

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-sandbox-rules-tweaked-80505.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2021-06-30

 

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[ICELANDMAN]

Good Luck tourist

[MRToMRT]

“For those who test negative, they are allowed to leave the hotel, but they must come back to stay in the hotel ‒ even if they have their own house in Phuket."

 

I just don't get that one. 

[Thaiwrath]

1 minute ago, MRToMRT said:

“For those who test negative, they are allowed to leave the hotel, but they must come back to stay in the hotel ‒ even if they have their own house in Phuket."

 

I just don't get that one. 

[Salerno]

2 minutes ago, MRToMRT said:

I just don't get that one. 

 

What's confusing?

[smedly]

“For those who test negative, they are allowed to leave the hotel, but they must come back to stay in the hotel ‒ even if they have their own house in Phuket"

 

so if you own or rent a condo or house in Phuket you can go there all day but must return to a ## hotel room lol

 

I see they have not mentioned anything about partners or guests in your room lol

[ikke1959]

If you have your own house in Phuket than you are not a tourist...... to make the sandbox successful they order you to stay in an hotel just as a tourist. You see.. sandbox successful..  many tourists book rooms ... Land of the silly things

[khunPer]

Quote

“Before coming to Thailand, they must avoid going to risk areas for at least 14 days [prior to travel]. They must come from the 66 countries which have been presented by the TAT [Tourism authority of Thailand] and stay in the country of origin for at least 21 days before coming to Thailand. They must register through official website [https://entrythailand.go.th/journey/1], he added.

Let's be positive and hope that the about 200 tourists arriving tomorrow, and the around 1,100 that so far already have booked the Phuket holiday, fulfill yesterday's published rules, otherwise a two weeks amazing quarantine might replace the two weeks holiday...????

[khunPer]

1 minute ago, ikke1959 said:

If you have your own house in Phuket than you are not a tourist...... to make the sandbox successful they order you to stay in an hotel just as a tourist. You see.. sandbox successful..  many tourists book rooms ... Land of the silly things

Sandbox model is for tourists, not for residents, they have all the time been able to arrive and do their two weeks mandatory alternative state quarantine, in Thai-way-of-thinking the rules make perfect sense...????????

[zzzzz]

1 hour ago, MRToMRT said:

“For those who test negative, they are allowed to leave the hotel, but they must come back to stay in the hotel ‒ even if they have their own house in Phuket."

 

I just don't get that one. 

 

1 hour ago, Thaiwrath said:

Quote

....Sandbox model is for tourists, not for residents

sandbox is for everyone!!

as they have already paid for the hotel ( the whole sandbox is to stimulate the economy ) which they are doing by booking/paying for their 14 nights
what difference does it make where they stay?
another case of..... TOT

[JonnyF]

1 hour ago, MRToMRT said:

“For those who test negative, they are allowed to leave the hotel, but they must come back to stay in the hotel ‒ even if they have their own house in Phuket."

 

I just don't get that one. 

They know that most people doing this will be long stayers returning and using the sandbox to avoid 2 weeks in a hotel room. Not real tourists.

 

By making them stay at the hotel, maybe this fact isn't so obvious. Plus they might spend their money at the large hotels on meals and drinks instead of at their favourite little local restaurants and bars. 

 

I'm not sure how they will check though. Maybe they've installed peepholes in the hotel room doors so the guards can check you every 4 hours ? Or are they still going with the gps bracelets?

[pgrin]

Correct me if I'm wrong but it appears if you have a connecting flight before arriving in Phuket you will have to be screened at the last airport before Phuket. I am flying EWR CDG HKT. The last flight is on Thai air and I will be screened in Paris? By who?

[ezzra]

Tomorrow and the following days we all be wiser, much wiser...

[ourmanflint]

So 4 paid tests in total just to go on holiday. No thanks

[NCC1701A]

 

[puck2]

Concerning all state informations about Covid , it's only about MONEY. Money for a special group of crooks in the government or near to the government or taking of one part of the overpricing.

Many orders/rules are contradicting logic and common sense. Only 2 examples:

 

-   who test negative, they are allowed to leave the hotel, but they must come back to stay in the hotel ‒ even if they have their own house in Phuket."

-   paying for 4 Covid tests, 1 before arriving and 3 during the 14-day sandbox scheme.

[Espanol]

1 hour ago, pgrin said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but it appears if you have a connecting flight before arriving in Phuket you will have to be screened at the last airport before Phuket. I am flying EWR CDG HKT. The last flight is on Thai air and I will be screened in Paris? By who?

 

No, they mean if you arrive to Thailand to BKK, instead of directly flying to HKT.

 

[Espanol]

1 hour ago, ourmanflint said:

So 4 paid tests in total just to go on holiday. No thanks

 

And that even been fully vaccinated

[Espanol]

16 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

 

 

And, how did they get COE?

 

Because no real time to get it, since Thai consulates just began accepting COE requirements 2 days ago.

 

I'm still waiting for them to answer and then I must provide airplane tickets, hotel bookings and then again waiting for them issuing COE.

 

By the way: now they ask for fully payed PCR test at hotel, but neither hotel nor Agoda have no idea about that.

 

[poskat]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

I'm not sure how they will check though. Maybe they've installed peepholes in the hotel room doors so the guards can check you every 4 hours ? Or are they still going with the gps bracelets?

I believe I read before that the "tourist' is required to check in each day with the hotel jailor, errr...I mean, health officer

[poskat]

“From the measures announced by the Royal Gazette yesterday, there are three main topics, which are the measures for tourists before coming to Thailand, the measures for tourists while staying in Thailand, and the measures for tourists before leaving Thailand,” he said."

 

he added "other than those, our welcome guests are free to behave as they please"

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, zzzzz said:

 

sandbox is for everyone!!

as they have already paid for the hotel ( the whole sandbox is to stimulate the economy ) which they are doing by booking/paying for their 14 nights
what difference does it make where they stay?
another case of..... TOT

Breakfast and other things at the hotel. I just amended my booking and included breakfast.

[Destiny1990]

They must have a COE, a COVID-19 test certificate issued within 72 hours [prior to travel], insurance covering US$100,000, a booking with a SHA+ hotel in Phuket for 14 days, as well as pay for RT-PCR testings. If they stay less than 14 days, they also need to present their return flight booking,” Governor Narong continued.

“They must have a vaccine certificate which has been approved by the World Health Organization or a Ministry of Public Health. Tourists who are younger than 18 years old and unable to be vaccinated must be RT-PCR tested before coming,” he said.

“After arriving at the airport, they must have their temperature checked. Then they need to present documents and go through the immigration and customs processes. Then they will be RT-PCR tested and directly go the hotel they have booked.

Waw. ????????????

[pkrv]

This deserves to fail. Don't get me wrong, I have great sympathy for the everyday Thais who are struggling with the Covid situation and the crazy antics of their so-called leaders. No, in my opinion it deserves to fail as it is designed to only line the pockets of certain people. If this was successful it will only spur them on to greater insanity. It needs to fail so the authorities can see that tourists - real tourists - are not going to put up with the insane measures and money hoops to be jumped through just to have two weeks in the sun in Thailand.

[Espanol]

14 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

They must have a COE, a COVID-19 test certificate issued within 72 hours [prior to travel], insurance covering US$100,000, a booking with a SHA+ hotel in Phuket for 14 days, as well as pay for RT-PCR testings. If they stay less than 14 days, they also need to present their return flight booking,” Governor Narong continued.

“They must have a vaccine certificate which has been approved by the World Health Organization or a Ministry of Public Health. Tourists who are younger than 18 years old and unable to be vaccinated must be RT-PCR tested before coming,” he said.

“After arriving at the airport, they must have their temperature checked. Then they need to present documents and go through the immigration and customs processes. Then they will be RT-PCR tested and directly go the hotel they have booked.

Waw. ????????????

 

It was much easier last century when arriving to Ellis Island before entering the USA.

That was a picnic compared with this. ????

[JonnyF]

So you're basically on day release from the hotel. Maybe they should have marketed the Sandbox as a prison experience instead. Some people pay good money for those. ????

 

https://www.imevents.global/event-information-prison-experience

 

[Deli]

Welcome to Shutter Island.

Insanity as it's best. If they would apply only 10 % of these rules and effort on controling factories, markets and borders, the country would be WuFlu free.

[jojothai]

2 hours ago, zzzzz said:

 

sandbox is for everyone!!

Where does any of the articles say that? Do they not state "Foreign tourists".

If you have a tourist visa, ok.

But if on long stay, i will not trust any offer that could be rejected at the last minute, or subject to large brown envelopes because you did not comply.

[MajorTom]

Honest question: Has it been stated anywhere that this is only for tourists? People with a non-immigrant visa/re-entry permit are not allowed  to use the sandbox system?

[skatewash]

2 minutes ago, MajorTom said:

Honest question: Has it been stated anywhere that this is only for tourists? People with a non-immigrant visa/re-entry permit are not allowed  to use the sandbox system?

People with non-immigrant visas or re-entry permits are allowed to used the Sandbox.  So are Thais.