Sandbox tourists being infected with COVID-19 will not stop the Phuket Sandbox scheme, said PPHO Chief Kusak Kukiattikoon. Photo: PR Phuket

 

By The Phuket News

 

PHUKET: Phuket Sandbox tourists testing positive for COVID-19 was expected and the infections will not stop after opening 12 days so far, Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon has said.

 

“The Sandbox tourists who have tested positive include one from UAE, three from Myanmar, one from South Africa, and one from Switzerland. They have been fully vaccinated with various brands, such as Pfizer, Moderna, Sinopharm and others,” Dr Kusak said at a press conference held at the EOC Command Center yesterday (July 12).

 

“For now, none of the high-risk contacts [associated with the Sandbox infected] have tested positive,” he said.

 

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Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-sandbox-infections-were-expected-80665.php

 

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From link : “Meanwhile, you can see that our disease control measures work effectively, and they will boost confidence among tourists and local people,” Dr Kusak assured.

 

No, locking up people in expensive quarantine when 'pinged' is doing more damage and giving more fear for a holiday than giving confidence to would be tourists planning to come to Thailand. 

If infections were expected, they should have had a better plan than to throw everyone on the plane into quarantine when one person tests positive, or at least announced that possibility in advance.

4 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

If infections were expected, they should have had a better plan than to throw everyone on the plane into quarantine when one person tests positive, or at least announced that possibility in advance.

How many times will this misinformation be spouted…

 

Not everyone everyone else on the plane was sent to ALQ, just the other members of the same tour party. 
 

That is still an atrocious response. 
 

Nothing is water tight, it makes perfect sense to expect that cases will slip through the the gaps. This is about minimizing impact, not eradicating 100% of the risk which would be impossible. 

Just now, richard_smith237 said:

How many times will this misinformation be spouted…

 

Not everyone everyone else on the plane was sent to ALQ, just the other members of the same tour party. 
 

That is still an atrocious response. 
 

Nothing is water tight, it makes perfect sense to expect that cases will slip through the the gaps. This is about minimizing impact, not eradicating 100% of the risk which would be impossible. 

I have also posted that there were 142 passengers (2 in first, 30 in business and 110 in economy) on the Emirates flight in question. Further, I have suggested that with the exception of F&B why not guarantee NO extra charges for passengers who test negative but are unwittingly caught in the ALQ scenario. It might help to appease the situation a little.

I live in Phuket. I'm not worried about the international tourists. Someone should ask this fella about the domestic arrivals that have to show a 7 day old rapid test. Also when everyone on the island vaccinated with Sinovac, most of us, can expect their AZ booster shot now delta has arrived here.

36 minutes ago, Rhacsyn said:

I have also posted that there were 142 passengers (2 in first, 30 in business and 110 in economy) on the Emirates flight in question. Further, I have suggested that with the exception of F&B why not guarantee NO extra charges for passengers who test negative but are unwittingly caught in the ALQ scenario. It might help to appease the situation a little.

Agreed....  This news must have created plenty of ‘damage’, along with it the misinformation repeatedly spread due the the laziness and inaccuracies of the initial reporting. 

 

A guarantee of no additional charges would alleviate some of the concerns of potential visitors.

 

However, the primary concern will still remain: Anyone who tests positive will naturally understand the requirement to remain in isolation until they test negative. 

 

But, no one who tests negative will understand or be happy if they are forced to isolate because they were ‘near’ someone who has tested positive. 

 

Isolating a vaccinated person due to a ‘proximity risk’ is ridiculous - An intelligent response would be for that person to submit to a daily antigen test in addition to the already scheduled PCR tests. 

 

The issue, as always in Thailand, is cost: Who pays for all of this ?

 

IMO: The initial Sandbox model had it right: 

- 1 Week ‘Island’ isolation for ‘Double Vaccinated’ individuals. 

- PCR test on arrival and on day 6

- Free to travel to the remainder of Thailand on day 7

 

With the addition: 

- Those who test positive enter ASQ for at least a week an until they test negative

- Entry includes the cost of ASQ / ALQ insurance (covers same standard of hotel as SHA+ hotel)

- Nights not spent at SHA+ hotel due to a positive test and moved to ALQ refunded

 

Reassurance: 

- Additional tests will be required for ‘proximity risk’ cases (at cost of government)

- ‘Proximity risk’ cases will not be quarantined if they test negative

 

 

A lot of people are getting neurotic about the SandBox model, but it must be remembered that the steps take are already strong, there is a far far greater risk from domestic-transmission than from anyone entering via the sandbox model who is fully vaccinated and has a Pre-Flight and arrival PCR test. 

 

Yes, nothing is is water tight, it is inevitable that SandBox cases will be identified - but unless Thailand is going to close its provincial borders, go into 100% lockdown i.e. enter an untenable period of national quarantine, this is a risk Thailand has to live with. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Agreed....  This news must have created plenty of ‘damage’, along with it the misinformation repeatedly spread due the the laziness and inaccuracies of the initial reporting. 

 

A guarantee of no additional charges would alleviate some of the concerns of potential visitors.

 

However, the primary concern will still remain: Anyone who tests positive will naturally understand the requirement to remain in isolation until they test negative. 

 

But, no one who tests negative will understand or be happy if they are forced to isolate because they were ‘near’ someone who has tested positive. 

 

Isolating a vaccinated person due to a ‘proximity risk’ is ridiculous - An intelligent response would be for that person to submit to a daily antigen test in addition to the already scheduled PCR tests. 

 

The issue, as always in Thailand, is cost: Who pays for all of this ?

 

IMO: The initial Sandbox model had it right: 

- 1 Week ‘Island’ isolation for ‘Double Vaccinated’ individuals. 

- PCR test on arrival and on day 6

- Free to travel to the remainder of Thailand on day 7

 

With the addition: 

- Those who test positive enter ASQ for at least a week an until they test negative

- Entry includes the cost of ASQ / ALQ insurance (covers same standard of hotel as SHA+ hotel)

- Nights not spent at SHA+ hotel due to a positive test and moved to ALQ refunded

 

Reassurance: 

- Additional tests will be required for ‘proximity risk’ cases (at cost of government)

- ‘Proximity risk’ cases will not be quarantined if they test negative

 

 

A lot of people are getting neurotic about the SandBox model, but it must be remembered that the steps take are already strong, there is a far far greater risk from domestic-transmission than from anyone entering via the sandbox model who is fully vaccinated and has a Pre-Flight and arrival PCR test. 

 

Yes, nothing is is water tight, it is inevitable that SandBox cases will be identified - but unless Thailand is going to close its provincial borders, go into 100% lockdown i.e. enter an untenable period of national quarantine, this is a risk Thailand has to live with. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For sure they need to act fast to quash and quell the ALQ issues. They had months to think it through so they must surely have a reaction plan ready???

 

As for going back closer to the original plan, yes, it generally makes much more sense when advertising for tourists. Let's see if things change after the first month or so, Covid permitting of course......

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Phuket Sandbox tourists testing positive for COVID-19 was expected and the infections will not stop after opening 12 days so far, Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon has said.

They still have this fixed notion that a vaccination means being 100% free from Covid... 

people can still be carriers and have symptoms.

Are they going to lock up every traveler that has a positive test?

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Phuket Sandbox tourists testing positive for COVID-19 was expected
and the infections will not stop after opening 12 days so far,
Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon has said.

Of course they were.
Of course they won't.

Until they do.

4 hours ago, Karma80 said:

I live in Phuket. I'm not worried about the international tourists. Someone should ask this fella about the domestic arrivals that have to show a 7 day old rapid test. Also when everyone on the island vaccinated with Sinovac, most of us, can expect their AZ booster shot now delta has arrived here.

All the AZ 'boosters' for the 'essential' (VIPs, The Connected, government workers, health care workers, university staff, "essential' institutions, factories, corporations, oh!  And "essential" tourist Sandbox cities, Bubble Cities, etc etc etc) means that the 1st shot for most Thais will be pushed out for a few more weeks (months?) <2022?>  {Who knows when?}
Lol.  Reality stranger than fiction. 

4 hours ago, Rhacsyn said:

Anyone who tests positive will naturally understand the requirement to remain in isolation until they test negative. 

Remain is 'isolation' or tossed into a very expensive hospital?  For most people including tourists?  The latter.

They need some tweaks on sandbox before it is doable:

1, Stop all domestic arrivals unless holding evidence that they are on business or visiting family and friends, plus a rapid test within 24 hours. Domestic vacationers can have their beach holiday in Hua Hin or Pattaya. If you want to make Phuket a box, you have to somehow give up domestic tourists to make Phuket a box;

2, Cancel 3 compulsory tests, make it only one on arrival and one at day 12. If less than 12 days, only one on arrival;

3, Make sure every visitors is vaccinated. Children not vaccinated? Tough, stay at home or vacation at home country. Or better, leave them at home. At present, less people test positive is better. Maybe you will loose some family travellers, but it is better to have a successful test run before the country open in October (which I think is 2022).

4, Make it more friendly to travellers so that tourists can have their Fit to Fly certificate done at the hotel.  

5, Cancel the requirement to download the spying apps. Nobody wants that. You have to trust tourists to follow the rules. There will be rule breakers but hopefully there would be very few.

6, Reduce the requirement of COE. Make sure travellers can apply with only a certificate of Vaccination and a 7 nights hotel reservation. Everything else can be checked on arrival. Be more flexible.

7, Forget the ASQ when tourists got close to a positive case, stay at their original hotel is good enough. Many Phuket hotels have two or more buildings or wings. Hotels and resorts have enough capacity to move the questionable tourists to a wing specifically for them. If the hotel or resorts do not have two buildings or wings, they should not be SHA+. It is called contingence plan.

 

I know my opinion will not be popular. But you must have a clear message to the public, do you want tourists or not? If so then you need to have the plan based on the needs and concerns of a tourists. At this moment, the sandbox is not designed to have tourists in mind, but to satisfy unscientific government figure heads. 

 

How many people still think it's called Sandbox because of the sand on the beaches ?!?

Sandbox concepts have their origin in the IT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbox_(computer_security)

One political said what's in the sandbox stays in the sandbox.

Exactly. That's what they are made for.

 

7 hours ago, Rhacsyn said:

For sure they need to act fast to quash and quell the ALQ issues. They had months to think it through so they must surely have a reaction plan ready???

 

As for going back closer to the original plan, yes, it generally makes much more sense when advertising for tourists. Let's see if things change after the first month or so, Covid permitting of course......

Step 1 would be to require the $$$ mandatory Covid insurance to cover all gub'ment mandated quarantine expenses, even for asymptomatic forced quarantines.  Step 2 would be to retest on a daily basis all those forced into ALQ, and turn them loose as soon as they test clear, understanding that they may not be 100% safe, but still safer than the population in general who have not been tested at all.

 

19 minutes ago, impulse said:

Step 1 would be to require the $$$ mandatory Covid insurance to cover all gub'ment mandated quarantine expenses, even for asymptomatic forced quarantines.  Step 2 would be to retest on a daily basis all those forced into ALQ, and turn them loose as soon as they test clear, understanding that they may not be 100% safe, but still safer than the population in general who have not been tested at all.

 

Step 1, absolutely or similar asap.

 

Step 2... my gut feel is that we are now nearly two weeks in and it will play along as is for the next week or so. Modification announcements will follow in this time scale. It is a "test" and I will take a wild guess that it will revert back to the original 7 days plan if there are no major hickups after a couple of months....hopefully sooner