Three more Phuket “sandbox” tourists found infected with COVID-19

[webfact]

 

Three more foreign tourists, who arrived on Thailand’s resort island of Phuket under its “sandbox” scheme, have been infected with COVID-19, according to local health authorities.

 

Phuket’s provincial health office reported yesterday (Sunday) that the newly infected tourists came from Myanmar, South Africa and Switzerland.

 

The infected Myanmar tourist is the mother of two previously infected children, aged 8 and 9, who tested positive on Sunday, while two other tourists tested positive during a second swab test after staying on Phuket. All of them have been sent to hospitals for treatment.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/three-more-phuket-sandbox-tourists-found-infected-with-covid-19/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-07-12

 

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[Thaiwrath]

A complete and utter shambles.

Maybe, instead of "sandbox" it would have been more appropriate to name it "petri dish" !

[HighPriority]

5 minutes ago, Thaiwrath said:

A complete and utter shambles.

Maybe, instead of "sandbox" it would have been more appropriate to name it "petri dish" !

Funny, but not funny...????

[colinneil]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

Three more foreign tourists, who arrived on Thailand’s resort island of Phuket under its “sandbox” scheme, have been infected with COVID-19, according to local health authorities.

Great advert for Phuket, welcome, come to Phuket, enjoy your holiday in camp Colditz.

Stupid bloody idea, opening up for tourists, when covid is raging out of control.

Now all that those clowns have done is pushed the opening up for tourists further and further back.

[smedly]

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

while two other tourists tested positive during a second swab test after staying on Phuket

where did they get it from ?

 

seems to me that Phuket could be rampant with covid and these so called tourist are being infected as they mix in the community 

 

Might have been better to test everyone on the Island before tourists arrived

 

now the only people being routinely tested are the few tourists that have arrived and they seem to be possibly exposing widespread infection across Phuket

 

[2long]

Well, let's hope that any good to come out of this is that the kids can be with their mum now!

[ThailandRyan]

More vacationers whose new Instagram photos will be showing the inside of a 2 star non-luxury ALQ hotel.  More like 3 Hots and a cot with a fan.  Phuket Sandbox "Come to Thailand and see how most Thais live, in a fan room with a squat toilet"

Edited July 12, 2021 by ThailandRyan

[Pattaya Spotter]

2 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

A complete and utter shambles.

Maybe, instead of "sandbox" it would have been more appropriate to name it "petri dish" !

6 out of over 3000 Sandboxers since July 1..."utter shambles" seems a bit extreme.

[Valentine]

The numbers amount to 0.15% although be handy to know through track & trace where they picked up the infection. Surprising the kids' father also not infected

[wensiensheng]

9 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

6 out of over 3000 Sandboxers since July 1..."utter shambles" seems a bit extreme.

IMHO the shambles bit is the decision making process that resulted in opening in the first place.  only 3k tourists after 12 days? How much have they done to boost the Thai economy I wonder? And yet a ton of resources was poured into Phuket to make it happen. Resources desperately needed elsewhere, rather than to facilitate a silly tourism program.

 

only 6 tourists positive , but those few cases make news across the world. And then fewer still tourists come.

 

it IS a shambles, just not because of absolute Covid case count to date.

[stephenterry]

Clearly, the covid 19 is not going to go away any time in the near future. Thailand got it wrong by not vaccinating promptly and wholesale by using the ineffective Chinese Sinovac, by not using Ivermectin at the early stages of infection, and by opening up to tourism, which is the worst of all worlds.

 

As others have posted, it is indeed a shambles that could have been limited. Now expect more infections arising as Thais evacuate Bangkok and surrounding provinces to escape the growing pandemic stats.

 

I only hope that the Chiang Mai governer follows the Phuket program, to at least limit the outbreak to minimise treatable daily cases. 

[billd766]

14 minutes ago, stephenterry said:

Clearly, the covid 19 is not going to go away any time in the near future. Thailand got it wrong by not vaccinating promptly and wholesale by using the ineffective Chinese Sinovac, by not using Ivermectin at the early stages of infection, and by opening up to tourism, which is the worst of all worlds.

 

As others have posted, it is indeed a shambles that could have been limited. Now expect more infections arising as Thais evacuate Bangkok and surrounding provinces to escape the growing pandemic stats.

 

I only hope that the Chiang Mai governer follows the Phuket program, to at least limit the outbreak to minimise treatable daily cases. 

Slightly off the topic of Phuket but still about Covid.

 

I live in a little moo ban in rural Kamphaeng Phet and wenever had any cases of Covid.

 

A couple of days ago a family came up from BKK to stay with their relatives in the moo ban, husband, wife and 2 children and brought Covid with them. All 4 have tested positive and whisked off to a hospital. 

 

The local primary school which was open is now closed and the local family who ran the local gas station now have no customers.

 

I have often wondered at times who stupid people can be. I found out this weekend.

 

 

[Megasin1]

3 hours ago, smedly said:

now the only people being routinely tested are the few tourists that have arrived and they seem to be possibly exposing widespread infection across Phuket

and they seem to be possibly exposed to widespread infection across Phuket.... there I've corrected it for you ????????????

[utalkin2me]

They need to rebrand this campaign. Maybe “Petri dish” would work? 

[IamNoone88]

The silence from the Hotel Association who have pushed this very hard is deafening. The island, Thailand and the rest of the world is simply not ready yet to deal with quarantine free tourism. Doesn't happen in Hong Kong or Singapore and they are massive tourist destinations.

[TheFishman1]

What if they tested negative before they came and then they stay there and now they’re testing positive where did it come from Tik

[xtrnuno41]

I dont get it, If I should  come to Thailand, i need a ftf signed by doc and 3 days prior to flight a PCR certificate of testing covid.

Every time now I read people coming in WITH covid. Guess they come in with airplane, so what about the other passengers? Or did they come in their own plane?

However that said, we were opening and within 2 weeks cases raised from 500 to 7000/day.

They forgot the D- virus and was imported. They didnt want to restrict incoming from India and so on.

We , think so, dont even have the restriction of a PCR test prior to come  flying in.

The government was wrong again and we are almost back in time.

Well today im getting the first vaccination jab, PFizer or Moderna. Decided to do it anyway.

I'll hope , i will stay alive as i do have to stay half hour after jab, to check if i dont drop dead. 

[Cake Monster]

The 64,000 $ question has to be asked.

Did all these Sandbox Tourists that are positive arrive already carrying the Virus, and poor testing did not pick it up, or, have they contracted the Virus while they have stayed on Phuket, where they have obviously been out and about and among the locals.

 

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The infected Myanmar tourist is the mother of two previously infected children, aged 8 and 9, who tested positive on Sunday, while two other tourists tested positive during a second swab test after staying on Phuket. All of them have been sent to hospitals for treatment.

Ohhh dear.... going south is the apt term.

[Espanol]

3 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

6 out of over 3000 Sandboxers since July 1..."utter shambles" seems a bit extreme.

 

6 out of 3000 means that about 1 passenger out of every 2 full airplanes will be confined at arriving in expensive ASQ hotel at his cost. I wouldn game that lottery.

 

[Dont confuse me]

3 hours ago, billd766 said:

Slightly off the topic of Phuket but still about Covid.

 

I live in a little moo ban in rural Kamphaeng Phet and wenever had any cases of Covid.

 

A couple of days ago a family came up from BKK to stay with their relatives in the moo ban, husband, wife and 2 children and brought Covid with them. All 4 have tested positive and whisked off to a hospital. 

 

The local primary school which was open is now closed and the local family who ran the local gas station now have no customers.

 

I have often wondered at times who stupid people can be. I found out this weekend.

 

 

Sad thing is that I bet this scenario is not limited to your moo ban/village

[natway09]

Burma & Sth Africa should never have been invited to play in the sandpit anyway

[mancub]

2 hours ago, Dont confuse me said:

Sad thing is that I bet this scenario is not limited to your moo ban/village

Exact same thing happened recently in our town and surrounding villages. Family members visited from BKK , later tested positive, natives in a panic , schools closed. 

[zhounan]

6 minutes ago, natway09 said:

Burma & Sth Africa should never have been invited to play in the sandpit anyway

Switzerland?

[unblocktheplanet]

Which brainiac approved South Africa?!?

[mancub]

13 minutes ago, pissedoff2am said:

I wonder why they are in a panic? All asymptomatic like most people who get infected? This is not Ebola, why do we still pretend this is the black death?

Simple people syndrome, market gossip and concern for the old folk . Of course, mostly asymptomatic, as was ever the case, but unlike before, a number of serious cases now in hospital. 

[Boedog]

Maybe that was the Governments plan its not about the tourists, its about the Covid insurance, how can they have covid, pcr test prior to flying, vaccinated pcr test on arrival 

[Nojohndoe]

6 hours ago, billd766 said:

Slightly off the topic of Phuket but still about Covid.

 

I live in a little moo ban in rural Kamphaeng Phet and wenever had any cases of Covid.

 

A couple of days ago a family came up from BKK to stay with their relatives in the moo ban, husband, wife and 2 children and brought Covid with them. All 4 have tested positive and whisked off to a hospital. 

 

The local primary school which was open is now closed and the local family who ran the local gas station now have no customers.

 

I have often wondered at times who stupid people can be. I found out this weekend.

 

 

A situation being repeated in many if not near all provincial districts, sub districts , villages , next door !

I am sure that by months end Thailand will be victim to a sweep of infection.

In two days time I will be going  to renew my annual extension of stay and presuming success will be avoiding public contact as much as possible .

As the gross numbers of infections become  public the concept of  sand boxes will have no more appeal than a try full of kitty litter.

It is a potentially dangerous  backlash that may arise from the fact that those who were given some high hopes of immunity thus the capacity to resume a level of  occupational and economic normality are now informed the prevalent Sinovac vaccine has been put in serious doubt in facing the Delta  variant.

Perhaps in due course there may be some better news involving a continued  reduction in serious illness despite an apparent zero efficacy in complete immunity of the Delta  variant.

It should be recognized that the holy grails of vaccines are less than 100%  in total efficacy originally  so 3 -6fails in 3000 is no surprise in reality but it does put an unwelcome turd smack in the middle of the sandbox .

Waiting to see what happens out there in the jungle!

[impulse]

4 hours ago, Espanol said:

6 out of 3000 means that about 1 passenger out of every 2 full airplanes will be confined at arriving in expensive ASQ hotel at his cost. I wouldn game that lottery.

 Still beats the stuffing out of the 100% odds of going into ASQ if you fly into BKK.  Or anywhere else in Thailand.

 

[impulse]

7 hours ago, billd766 said:

Slightly off the topic of Phuket but still about Covid.

 

I live in a little moo ban in rural Kamphaeng Phet and wenever had any cases of Covid.

 

A couple of days ago a family came up from BKK to stay with their relatives in the moo ban, husband, wife and 2 children and brought Covid with them. All 4 have tested positive and whisked off to a hospital. 

 

The local primary school which was open is now closed and the local family who ran the local gas station now have no customers.

 

I have often wondered at times who stupid people can be. I found out this weekend.

It's tempting to call them idiots.  But it could just as easily been truck drivers, market vendors, migrant workers, Kerry delivery guys, or any one of 100 cogs in the wheel that make modern society possible.  It's not like the Black Plague where they could sequester whole villages because each one was self sufficient.

 

Still, yours is a perfect example of Covid thriving with or without tourists.  But the economy can only thrive with them and their tourist cash.

The only way out of Covid is herd immunity, which means either enough people getting infected, or enough getting vaccinated.  With Thailand's shambolic vaccine rollout, I'm betting it's going to be enough getting infected.  And with the overall lack of testing, we'll never know.

 

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by impulse