PHUKET: The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) marked 109 new local COVID-19 infections on the island yesterday (Aug 14), bringing the total number of people recognised as infected with COVID-19 in Phuket since Apr 3 to 1,940.

 

The PPHO report, marked as accurate as of 10:20pm last night, also marked zero Phuket Sandbox arrivals confirmed as newly infected, and zero new COVID patients brought to the island for treatment under the ‘Bring Phuket People Home’ campaign.

 

The 109 new local infections bring  the total number of new local infections on the island in the past seven days to 507, as follows:

 

• Aug 8 - 81 new cases
• Aug 9 - 61 new cases
• Aug 10 - 37 new cases
• Aug 11 - 104 new cases
• Aug 12 - 33 new cases
• Aug 13 - 82 new cases
• Aug 14 - 109 new cases

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-marks-109-new-local-infections-81056.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2021-08-15

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

TAT/Phuket admin/CCSA logic

More Covid

More ability to travel 7+7

Less restrictions

Sing the praised of the litterbox MUBAR

OK, so sandbox people are not a virus issue.  Now what?  Is there an exit plan or strategy? 

What about the limit in 90 weekly cases?

3 hours ago, Dmitry2222 said:

What about the limit in 90 weekly cases?

Buried.

The SandBox must go on, forget about what we said about 90 Covid cases in a week???????????? SandBox is working, Sandbox is working, Repeat after me The SandBox is working! 

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Buried.

 

4 hours ago, Dmitry2222 said:

What about the limit in 90 weekly cases?

Were talkin money being generated now, 507 in a week doesn't matter !  

5 hours ago, Dmitry2222 said:

What about the limit in 90 weekly cases?

If they would lie about that, then what else would they lie about? Things that make you go "Hmmmm . . . "

5 hours ago, Dmitry2222 said:

What about the limit in 90 weekly cases?

That referred to non domestic cases and was never a hard limit.

1 hour ago, CANSIAM said:

 

Were talkin money being generated now, 507 in a week doesn't matter !  

I get the impression that if it were 5070 per week it still would not matter

A sealed off island with cases rising... the mind boggle.  Why aren't delivery guys entering the island strictly controled ? Where does the Chinese virus enter ? For sure not by Sandbox tourists...

1 hour ago, Deli said:

A sealed off island with cases rising... the mind boggle.  Why aren't delivery guys entering the island strictly controled ? Where does the Chinese virus enter ? For sure not by Sandbox tourists...

Unfortunately the virus spread undetected (due to inadequate # of testing, and loose entry requirements for domestic travel) before and also for a brief time after the Sandbox opened.

 

When the Sandbox 1st opened, the international travelers had massive restrictions/requirements to meet, while in comparison, domestic travelers to Phuket had minimal (I think only a test in the last 72 hours, and it may be been in the last 7 days ??? < unsure > ). 

 

I recall reading on another forum many noting the silliness of that approach. 

 

So then the local government tightened the restrictions, and required anyone coming to prove they were vaccinated with 1 AZ ... or with 2-Sinovac ... or with a negative test ...  Soon after that it was changed to vaccinated AND a negative test.

 

By then thou, IMHO it was too late. The virus was in Phuket and spreading, not detected due to not enough testing IMHO.   In June Phuket averaged about 100 tests/day, and in July only about 200 tests/day.  Again, IMHO, this was not enough testing to detect the 'festering' pandemic in the Island.

 

So being sealed off means the pandemic that is spreading in Phuket won't have as many new domestic travelers coming to Phuket to spread the virus - and hopefully with that, and MORE testing, that the virus spread  in Phuket can be identified, specific isolation put in place, and the spread stopped. 

 

I say 'hopefully' as I fear it could be too late to stop this average daily increase.

 

12 hours ago, Dmitry2222 said:

What about the limit in 90 weekly cases?

Those were sandbox weekly cases.

 

But, if sandbox is not bringing Covid-19, but local transmission, why cancel sandbox program?

 

Even if you cancel full program you will still have Covid-19 in Phuket. 

 

Sandbox is not the problem, but the initial lack of control of Thai nationals entering Phuket from mainland. 

 

11 minutes ago, Espanol said:

Those were sandbox weekly cases.

 

But, if sandbox is not bringing Covid-19, but local transmission, why cancel sandbox program?

 

Even if you cancel full program you will still have Covid-19 in Phuket. 

 

Sandbox is not the problem, but the initial lack of control of Thai nationals entering Phuket from mainland. 

 

On your point that those 90 cases were for sandbox tourists, I think you are incorrect with that unless you've got a link to specifically state it?

 

The provisions of the Sandbox said that the plan could be reconsidered, modified or even cancelled if weekly infection rates surpassed 90. If daily infections climb a little more to reach a daily average of 13 people, they would hit that 90 cases threshold that could hamper or end the Sandbox. Other qualifiers are if hospital beds reach 80%, or infections are found in more than 6 villages spanning Phuket’s 3 districts, or if outbreaks occur where contact tracing is unable to confirm their origin.

 

The assurance comes as the island yesterday marked 114 local infections in the past seven days ‒ easily exceeding the “90 infections in one week” limit set by the the Centre of COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) in Bangkok late last month as reason enough to start reviewing whether or not the Phuket Sandbox scheme should be halted.

19 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

On your point that those 90 cases were for sandbox tourists, I think you are incorrect with that unless you've got a link to specifically state it?

They never specifically said that, but full sandbox program was designed to prevent tourists entering Covid-19 to Thailand in a time when there was no Covid-19 in Thailand.

 

That was the reason for asking 3 PCR even to fully vaccinated tourists. And they also designed a progressive system of damage control in 3 phases if 90 cases were reached:

- limiting tourists movements 

- confining tourists in their hotels and

- cancelling full program. 

 

Because they assumed then, that tourists entering Phuket from abroad was the risk.

 

Unfortunately, they never supposed that real risk for Phuket were not the tourists, but Thai nationals entering to Phuket looking for a job.

 

 

 

 

8 hours ago, CANSIAM said:

 

Were talkin money being generated now, 507 in a week doesn't matter !  

In Australia they lock down 8 million people for 450 infections

13 minutes ago, Espanol said:

They never specifically said that, but full sandbox program was designed to prevent tourists entering Covid-19 to Thailand in a time when there was no Covid-19 in Thailand.

 

That was the reason for asking 3 PCR even to fully vaccinated tourists. And they also designed a progressive system of damage control in 3 phases if 90 cases were reached:

- limiting tourists movements 

- confining tourists in their hotels and

- cancelling full program. 

 

Because they assumed then, that tourists entering Phuket from abroad was the risk.

 

Unfortunately, they never supposed that real risk for Phuket were not the tourists, but Thai nationals entering to Phuket looking for a job.

 

 

 

 

Yea sure, I'm aware of that its just that it was incorrect to say the 90 cases per day were for Sandbox tourists only. 

 

The real risk is without doubt not them, it is the local cases that were there but not found due to little testing and now spreading. Problem now is containing that with Delta. They cannot do a full lockdown because of the sandbox. 

 

Its the locals that will lose out more as a result of a major spread if it happens.

16 minutes ago, Espanol said:

They never specifically said that, but full sandbox program was designed to prevent tourists entering Covid-19 to Thailand in a time when there was no Covid-19 in Thailand.

 

That was the reason for asking 3 PCR even to fully vaccinated tourists. And thy also designed a progressive system of damage control in 3 phases if 90 cases were reached:

- limiting tourists movements 

- confining tourists in their hotels and

- cancelling full program. 

 

Because they assumed then, that tourists entering Phuket from abroad was the risk.

 

Unfortunately, they never supposed that real risk for Phuket were not tourists, but Thai nationals entering to Phuket looking for a job.

So now there's absolutely no reason to continue with quarantine  for international arrivals, and the Sandbox has shown that the country CAN safely be opened up. 

2 hours ago, mancub said:

So now there's absolutely no reason to continue with quarantine  for international arrivals, and the Sandbox has shown that the country CAN safely be opened up. 

No it can't, it's not safe for te tourists even being vaccinated.

15 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

If they would lie about that, then what else would they lie about? Things that make you go "Hmmmm . . . "

It would be a lot quicker to ask what they tell the truth about... 

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

It would be a lot quicker to ask what they tell the truth about... 

I believe that would return a null value.

23 hours ago, Dmitry2222 said:

What about the limit in 90 weekly cases?

Out the window.

18 hours ago, Uroller said:

The SandBox must go on, forget about what we said about 90 Covid cases in a week???????????? SandBox is working, Sandbox is working, Repeat after me The SandBox is working! 

Yes it is working...109 cases...no deaths! A Thai friend with a massage shop in Kata had 22 walk-ins the other day...pre-sandbox maybe a couple per day.

7 hours ago, Albert Zweistein said:

No it can't, it's not safe for te tourists even being vaccinated.

I know....I was being childishly sarcastic because  that's the criteria for the Sandbox being judged as a success !

20 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Buried.

They forgot they said that

23 hours ago, Dmitry2222 said:

What about the limit in 90 weekly cases?

Just big misunderstanding