Another Phuket rule change: Negative COVID test results must be issued in past 72 hours

[webfact]

The decision to tighten the requirement to enter Phuket were made at a meeting of the Phuket Provincial Communicable Disease Committee last night (July 22). Photo: PR Phuket

 

By The Phuket News

 

PHUKET: Starting Sunday (July 25), all people travelling from within Thailand wanting to enter Phuket must present RT-PCR or rapid antigen test results confirming the arrival is not infected with COVID-19 issued by a medical facility within 72 hours before arriving on the island.

 

The new rule initially will be in effect for only nine days, from this Sunday (July 25) through to Aug 2.

 

However, The Phuket News notes that it may be extended before Aug 2 arrives.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/another-phuket-rule-change-negative-covid-test-results-must-be-issued-in-past-72-hours-80792.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2021-07-23

 

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[Espanol]

 

They change rules daily!

 

 

[ezzra]

At 3,000 baht a pop for repeated tests for foreigners and now for the locals too, someone is making a killing there...

Edited July 23, 2021 by ezzra

[CANSIAM]

Changing entry requirements every 24 hours ! The police and military personnel at the checkpoints will not have a clue what's valid or invalid........ 

[smedly]

slower than I predicted in an earlier post, just shows the level of competence 

[smedly]

7 minutes ago, CANSIAM said:

Changing entry requirements every 24 hours ! The police and military personnel at the checkpoints will not have a clue what's valid or invalid........ 

feel sorry for those alread enroute or about to travel

[Heng]

Before arrival in HKT or before the first flight departure is an important detail.   Hope they translated that right.

[david555]

One question keep in my mind about that pcr test ,  date and time? Which one , the moment of taking the test thing in your nose , or the date/time the  deliver you the test result ? As that can be a big difference in valid time 

[kimamey]

Looks as if they're changing the rules to what anyone with any sense would have had in place to start with.

[impulse]

5 hours ago, kimamey said:

Looks as if they're changing the rules to what anyone with any sense would have had in place to start with.

I don't disagree with that, but I feel for the Thai's who have to pay 1-2 weeks' salary for an RT-PCR test, just to go to work in Phuket.  Hardly seems worth it for a typical service sector job that pays 300 a day.  Even a cheap-o test is pretty spendy at that wage level.

 

And that doesn't even address the unemployed Phuket Thais just trying to get home to the island.

 

Edited July 23, 2021 by impulse

[kimamey]

45 minutes ago, impulse said:

I don't disagree with that, but I feel for the Thai's who have to pay 1-2 weeks' salary for an RT-PCR test, just to go to work in Phuket.  Hardly seems worth it for a typical service sector job that pays 300 a day.  Even a cheap-o test is pretty spendy at that wage level.

 

And that doesn't even address the unemployed Phuket Thais just trying to get home to the island.

 

I suppose the obvious answer would be for the government to subsidise the tests if only for those who can't afford them or at least something to help out that doesn't risk spreading the virus which would be worse.

[Espanol]

1 hour ago, kimamey said:

I suppose the obvious answer would be for the government to subsidise the tests if only for those who can't afford them or at least something to help out that doesn't risk spreading the virus which would be worse.

With so many double price for everything in Thailand, why not also free tests for Thai people?

 

Or at least free tests for Thais returning home to Phuket. 

About workers, may me employers would pay for their tests. 

 

Indeed, unemployed poor Thais will never be able to pay that.

 

 

Edited July 23, 2021 by Espanol

[impulse]

3 hours ago, kimamey said:

I suppose the obvious answer would be for the government to subsidise the tests if only for those who can't afford them or at least something to help out that doesn't risk spreading the virus which would be worse.

Another tack would be to investigate why RT-PCR tests cost 3000-5000 in Thailand, when India's Supreme Court is being asked to cap the price at 300 Rs (133 baht), still allowing a 50% profit margin.

 

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/supreme-court-to-take-up-fresh-plea-seeking-to-fix-maximum-rate-for-rt-pcr-test-to-rs-300/articleshow/83959286.cms?from=mdr

[Albert Zweistein]

In most EU countries it is FREE  for anyone

[impulse]

3 hours ago, Albert Zweistein said:

In most EU countries it is FREE  for anyone

They're not FREE.  They're INCLUDED in the outrageous taxes.  Europeans and Americans will be paying for those free tests and free jabs for decades.

 

Would have been cheaper to put them on our credit cards...

 

Edited July 23, 2021 by impulse

[ChipButty]

At least they recognize where a problem could arise and to rectify it, that was locals bring it onto the island, in other post people complaining about Thais not having to have a test, so now they have stopped that and they are refusing entry to a lot of people was it 400 the other day, at least give them some credit

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

The new rule initially will be in effect for only nine days, from this Sunday (July 25) through to Aug 2

Why?

[timkeen08]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Why?

By my calendar, Buddhist holidays and someone's birthday perhaps?

[sbf]

Rapid Antigen test is substantially cheaper than PCR and either are acceptable for entry to Phuket. Rapid Antigen tests are available for 500 or so baht at public hospitals and clinics in Phuket and Phang Nga. However two weeks ago a staff member had to drive 50 km to find a clinic to get a Rapid Antigen Test performed as no clinics, nor the hospital in the closer Phang Nga towns could perform them at that time.

 

Another staff member recently went to get a test at Thalang Hospital, Phuket. This was about a week ago. There was apparently a strict limit of 50 Rapid Antigen tests a day at that time, so they were told to arrive early. They arrived at 7am, were tested about 11am, and received the results at 2pm. Nearly a whole days work lost for the staff member who must travel to the other side of Sarasin Bridge daily as part of their work duties. Now this will happen twice a week, so effectively our company is bearing some burden for the sandbox. 

 

I am not complaining about the fact that health measures are in place, but more so the lack of an efficient health service to meet those requirements locally. In contrast I had a Rapid Antigen test at a hospital in another province a few days earlier in order to be able to travel to Phuket. Arrived at the hospital without appointment, waited 10 minutes to be tested and was told to either wait or come back in an hour for the results. Decided to go pick up a few items I needed in town. The hospital called me after 40 minutes and told me the results were ready for pick-up. 

 

There are many people who live in the north of Phuket who travel to Phang Nga every day for schooling or livelihoods, and I imagine even more who do the reverse trip. The check-point staff have been pretty good, especially up to the opening of the sandbox, but this journey has become increasingly difficult in both directions. Leaving the island all foreigners need to show their passport at checkpoint, I guess to make sure they are not early escaping sand-boxers. Immigration were good enough ( and possibly tired of seeing me there sometimes twice in a day) to give me a letter which meant I did not have to park the car and go and report every time. This had a one month validity.

 

The new 72 hour and vaccination requirements will cause problems once schools on Phuket reopen as many children cross every day in each direction to attend schools in the other province. Most children will not be able to pass as they are not vaccinated yet. It will also be expensive for parents of any who are under the age requirement or have been vaccinated as they have to pay for the tests and the kids will lose at least a day per week schooling unless they can find a convenient location which can perform the test efficiently. 

 

I can no longer do the journey out of Phuket as I have not been vaccinated yet, despite registering for that. Once I leave Phuket under current conditions I cannot return. I would be more than happy to relieve the Thai taxpayers of the burden of the cost of vaccinating myself if this was possible, but it is not yet so.  Effectively Phuket is a large open prison as far as I am concerned.  

[Espanol]

5 hours ago, ChipButty said:

At least they recognize where a problem could arise and to rectify it, that was locals bring it onto the island, in other post people complaining about Thais not having to have a test, so now they have stopped that and they are refusing entry to a lot of people was it 400 the other day, at least give them some credit

Better late than never.

 

[kimamey]

16 hours ago, Espanol said:

With so many double price for everything in Thailand, why not also free tests for Thai people?

 

Or at least free tests for Thais returning home to Phuket. 

About workers, may me employers would pay for their tests. 

 

Indeed, unemployed poor Thais will never be able to pay that.

 

 

I agree. When I said subsidise the tests I meant either partially or fully. Any plan like this has difficulties so it needs careful planning. The problem with Covid or any virus for that matter is that it doesn't know if you're poor even though your circumstances might make you more likely to catch it. If you're going to use testing to slow the infection rate it has to apply to everyone regardless of their financial status. It's up to the government to mitigate any problems that relate to the cost.

[Albert Zweistein]

19 hours ago, impulse said:

They're not FREE.  They're INCLUDED in the outrageous taxes.  Europeans and Americans will be paying for those free tests and free jabs for decades.

 

Would have been cheaper to put them on our credit cards...

 

Obvious you have no clue about taxes in Europe, at least in my country.