Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew at the meeting yesterday (Aug 28). Photo: PR Phuket

 

By The Phuket News

 

PHUKET: Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew has announced that new rules for people to enter Phuket by land, sea or air will come into effect this Wednesday (Sept 1).

 

The announcement came following the meeting of the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee at Provincial Hall yesterday (Aug 28).

 

It also comes as the number of local COVID infections across the island continue to escalate and after the new Sandbox 7+7 travel bubble allowing fully vaccinated tourists to spend their first seven nights in Phuket and the following seven nights in other designated ‘Sandbox’ areas, including in Khao Lak in Phang Nga, Phi Phi Island in Krabi, and Koh Samui in Surat Thani.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/new-entry-rules-for-phuket-to-come-into-effect-sept-1-81223.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2021-08-30

 

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It ain't improving, guv.

1 hour ago, Somtamnication said:

It ain't improving, guv.

It is if the Gov! says so!

The Governor needs to get in step with the Junta propaganda or he will finish up looking for a new position. The Government report numbers going down not escalating.

Bring back the tambon lockdown gov or not? Show all your power and teach that sandboxlers a lesson lol!

Carry on depriving the Phuket children of effective education so long as the sandbox remains open. 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

It also comes as the number of local COVID infections across the island continue to escalate and after the new Sandbox 7+7 travel bubble allowing fully vaccinated tourists to spend their first seven nights in Phuket and the following seven nights in other designated ‘Sandbox’ areas, including in Khao Lak in Phang Nga, Phi Phi Island in Krabi, and Koh Samui in Surat Thani.

Ever since the Sandbox started the local infection levels have risen..

was the local vaccination level just a lie?

I read the article, no mention of "new rules".

 

Maybe today?

 

 

As for people wanting to enter Phuket, Governor Narong noted, “As for the screening measures for people from outside the Phuket area, it is currently under discussion with related parties to obtain complete information.

 

“It is expected that on Monday, August 30, will come to a conclusion about the screening measures for people entering the Phuket area so that we can announce an order in Phuket Province that will come into effect on September 1, 2021,” he said.

I just don’t get it.

 

70% plus of Phuket is double jabbed. Is the current scenario in Phuket the one that the rest of Thailand is striving to achieve? Schools closed, bars closed, no alcohol in restaurants, no public gatherings, now maybe restricted to your own Tambon. Is that the life people will live once 70% fully vaccinated levels are reached across the country?

 

I am a big proponent of lockdowns at the right time and implemented in the right way. I believe them to be absolutely essential in serving a particular purpose at a moment in time. This ain’t that time and trying to eliminate all cases to save tourism ain’t the purpose.

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Ever since the Sandbox started the local infection levels have risen..

was the local vaccination level just a lie?

Humm and what about the infection levels thru out Thailand and the dark red zones.  Glass huts everywhere ….careful where you throw those rice balls

It's all very well to get the Phuket locals vaccinated, but the sandbox needed people from rest of Thailand who were not vaxed. They brought in the vius in large numbers. My wife blames the sandbox for bringing in Thai support staff.

Trying to continue to save Phuket for a failed Sandbox scheme is ridiculous at this point. Stop flogging a dead horse. Its not going anywhere, anytime soon. Triage it - It should be a second, third or fourth priority now.

 

BUT, Open up domestic travel again, which had more arrivals than from overseas and let us get on with our own domestic business obligations throughout Thailand before the last few surviving local businesses also bite the dust. Its not all about the hotels and for 200 or less arriving foreigners per day, every other pan Thailand business or local/provincial Phuket business is suffering due to draconian measures.

 

Phuket should focus on overseas visitors only when other countries open and can travel freely - the objective and focus now should be on the greater domestic economy and not some failed minute sandbox portion whose success is solely reliant on many overseas decisions and restrictions that are absolutely out of the control of the local authorities - such as flights, such as returning quarantine. All major origins such as UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, China, New Zealand, Japan, Korea all have return quarantine for up to 3 weeks!. There are travel advice warnings in the US. 

 

This has become Alcatraz island - Time to move on - open up to vaccinated domestic travelers into and out of Phuket with one PCR test that is good for 10 days and let's get on with the real economy. We have another two years before global travel resumes assuming no other deadly variants. The Covid genie is out of bottle, time open up domestically and get on with business. 

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Ever since the Sandbox started the local infection levels have risen..

was the local vaccination level just a lie?

It does make one wonder how many were Vaccinated on Phuket, and how many times and with what vaccine.

I think there would certainly have been a considerable amount of Hype to the Vaccine levels prior to opening the Island, but the question has also to be asked " how many were allowed in prior to the complete Lockdown , and were some infected ? ", and have been spreading the Love all over the Island for weeks now.

7 minutes ago, IamNoone88 said:

Trying to continue to save Phuket for a failed Sandbox scheme is ridiculous at this point. Stop flogging a dead horse. Its not going anywhere, anytime soon. Triage it - It should be a second, third or fourth priority now.

 

BUT, Open up domestic travel again, which had more arrivals than from overseas and let us get on with our own domestic business obligations throughout Thailand before the last few surviving local businesses also bite the dust. Its not all about the hotels and for 200 or less arriving foreigners per day, every other pan Thailand business or local/provincial Phuket business is suffering due to draconian measures.

 

Phuket should focus on overseas visitors only when other countries open and can travel freely - the objective and focus now should be on the greater domestic economy and not some failed minute sandbox portion whose success is solely reliant on many overseas decisions and restrictions that are absolutely out of the control of the local authorities - such as flights, such as returning quarantine. All major origins such as UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, China, New Zealand, Japan, Korea all have return quarantine for up to 3 weeks!. There are travel advice warnings in the US. 

 

This has become Alcatraz island - Time to move on - open up to vaccinated domestic travelers into and out of Phuket with one PCR test that is good for 10 days and let's get on with the real economy. We have another two years before global travel resumes assuming no other deadly variants. The Covid genie is out of bottle, time open up domestically and get on with business. 

Locals brought this in, so you're proposing getting more locals in?

2 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Carry on depriving the Phuket children of effective education so long as the sandbox remains open. 

If you're referring to Thai coming in from other parts I understand the reasoning, if you're referring to people coming in from abroad, your reasoning makes no sense.

2 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

70% plus of Phuket is double jabbed. Is the current scenario in Phuket the one that the rest of Thailand is striving to achieve? Schools closed, bars closed, no alcohol in restaurants, no public gatherings, now maybe restricted to your own Tambon. Is that the life people will live once 70% fully vaccinated levels are reached across the country?

depends what you are double jabbed with

12 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

It does make one wonder how many were Vaccinated on Phuket, and how many times and with what vaccine.

I think there would certainly have been a considerable amount of Hype to the Vaccine levels prior to opening the Island, but the question has also to be asked " how many were allowed in prior to the complete Lockdown , and were some infected ? ", and have been spreading the Love all over the Island for weeks now.

Can somebody define "Hype" for me please?

2 minutes ago, smedly said:

depends what you are double jabbed with

None of the vaccines prevents getting infected, so no, you're wrong, it doesn't depend on what you're jabbed with.

18 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

It's all very well to get the Phuket locals vaccinated, but the sandbox needed people from rest of Thailand who were not vaxed. They brought in the vius in large numbers. My wife blames the sandbox for bringing in Thai support staff.

Agree with your wife. They should have isolated the whole of rassada at least 2 weeks ago.

He looks ready to spring into action if he could only find backspace ????

15 minutes ago, stevenl said:

If you're referring to Thai coming in from other parts I understand the reasoning, if you're referring to people coming in from abroad, your reasoning makes no sense.

Very clear what I am referring to. The kids are being deprived of effective education, yet this is supposed to be a model of opening up the entire country. Phuket had 70 percent vaxxed. If you cannot open schools now then you never can. Clear enough for you?

This illustrates something that I've come to realize just recently (after going to and returning from the US, and finishing 14 days in ASQ):  no matter what the "rules" and "guidelines" may be where you're traveling to or from, they can change while you're traveling and you may well be stuck wherever you are.   I'm guessing this will be true for some time to come.  I will only travel if it's absolutely necessary.  No way I'm taking an international "vacation" just for the sake of a vacation.

18 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Very clear what I am referring to. The kids are being deprived of effective education, yet this is supposed to be a model of opening up the entire country. Phuket had 70 percent vaxxed. If you cannot open schools now then you never can. Clear enough for you?

Thanks, so your comment is not related to the sandbox at all, even though you think it is.

 

Your post I reacted to "Carry on depriving the Phuket children of effective education so long as the sandbox remains open. ". You're claiming here the sandbox is the cause of Phuket children being deprived of education, your explanation says something different.

8 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Thanks, so your comment is not related to the sandbox at all, even though you think it is.

 

Your post I reacted to "Carry on depriving the Phuket children of effective education so long as the sandbox remains open. ". You're claiming here the sandbox is the cause of Phuket children being deprived of education, your explanation says something different.

If the sandbox was not in operation strict lockdowns would have been implimented a longtime ago. Schools would be open now.

 

For sandbox to work the ridiculous measures for arriving tourists need to be dropped. For locals life should also carry on under new normal. That includes opening schools. That was the whole point of prioratizing Phuket for vaccination. If this is not implimented then it was all a waste of time  money and the education of the kids.

 

3 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

I just don’t get it.

 

70% plus of Phuket is double jabbed. Is the current scenario in Phuket the one that the rest of Thailand is striving to achieve? Schools closed, bars closed, no alcohol in restaurants, no public gatherings, now maybe restricted to your own Tambon. Is that the life people will live once 70% fully vaccinated levels are reached across the country?

 

I am a big proponent of lockdowns at the right time and implemented in the right way. I believe them to be absolutely essential in serving a particular purpose at a moment in time. This ain’t that time and trying to eliminate all cases to save tourism ain’t the purpose.

Scary isn't it?  Maybe Phuket was the wrong island to try it on as you need a governor with big kahunas to not worry too much about the cases, and just focus on how the hospitals are coping with "actual cases" (people who are genuinely in need of hospital treatment) rather than just the number of positive tests and adjust policy/restrictions based on that number.    Sadly, Phuket does not have one of these and seems to think the sandbox experiment is  equivalent to some kind of "mini Australia" where mad scientists think complete eradication of the virus is possible, rather than controlled and lived with via vaccinations.   

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Locals brought this in, so you're proposing getting more locals in?

Mostly Burmese, migrant workers. You can control that? Get the economy moving.

1 hour ago, LivinginKata said:

It's all very well to get the Phuket locals vaccinated, but the sandbox needed people from rest of Thailand who were not vaxed. They brought in the vius in large numbers. My wife blames the sandbox for bringing in Thai support staff.

My wife was always worried about that, the amount of workers required not vaccinated they should have controlled that better

1 hour ago, Bkk Brian said:

If the sandbox was not in operation strict lockdowns would have been implimented a longtime ago. Schools would be open now.

 

For sandbox to work the ridiculous measures for arriving tourists need to be dropped. For locals life should also carry on under new normal. That includes opening schools. That was the whole point of prioratizing Phuket for vaccination. If this is not implimented then it was all a waste of time  money and the education of the kids.

 

Ah, so that's why schools in Bangkok are open?

5 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Ever since the Sandbox started the local infection levels have risen..

was the local vaccination level just a lie?

Misunderstanding sounds nicer

54 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Ah, so that's why schools in Bangkok are open?

This is about Phuket that supposedly has over 70% vaxxed since July and open to tourists, do pay attention