BANGKOK (NNT) - According to Phuket Governor Narong Woosiew, Phuket will remain open to tourists under its Phuket Sandbox tourism promotion program despite a surge in new Covid-19 infections. The governor said in order to maintain the provincial economic recovery, local business operators are more concerned about the possibility of an island lockdown.

 

From January 1 - 3, 10,132 foreign visitors arrived in Phuket, a significant rise of daily arrivals from about 500 visitors per day in the early stages of the sandbox program. This has been an essential relief to the island’s financial situation.

 

According to Phuket’s Deputy Governor Phichet Panaphong, by testing between 3,000 - 5,000 foreign tourists every day, around 30-50 tourists are found infected.

 

Until now, Phuket has cooperated with 66 hotels that agreed to serve as hospitels to take in infected people with mild and moderate symptoms, said Mr. Phichet.

 

Meanwhile, Dr. Koosak Kookiatkul, head of the Phuket Public Health Office revealed that the Covid-19 infection rate is getting higher among both Thais and foreigners when compared with the data collected a couple of weeks earlier. The daily cases of new Covid-19 infections have been escalating from between 30 and 40 cases a day to more than 120 a day.

 

Phuket Governor Narong cited that on January 4, 2022, Phuket recorded 215 new Covid-19 infections, the highest daily number in a month. Meanwhile, most of the infections were visitors who entered via the Phuket Sandbox Program. However, the majority of infected people appeared to have mild symptoms of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

 

Mr. Narong added Phuket must prepare 1,000 hospitel rooms and hotel isolation services to take in more cases, because a lot more foreign visitors are making their way to the island.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2022-01-06

 

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7 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

by testing between 3,000 - 5,000 foreign tourists every day, around 30-50 tourists are found infected.

so +/- 1% ..... if it was in China the city would be completely lockdown .... but here no problem  $$$$$$$$ talks, wonder how many are detected on a daily basis in other areas Kho Samui, Pattaya, Krabi, Hua Hin, etc. not to mention BkK

 

13 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

so +/- 1% ..... if it was in China the city would be completely lockdown .... but here no problem  $$$$$$$$ talks, wonder how many are detected on a daily basis in other areas Kho Samui, Pattaya, Krabi, Hua Hin, etc. not to mention BkK

 

So u think Phuket should lockdown? Destroy what's left of the local economy. Ruin people's lives... Unbelievable. 

The Omicron wave is more of a test wave than an epidemics.

Well..i guess alot more tourists will test positive and the hospitels will be so happy.This is unbelivable.

I would not go here even i get paid.

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

From January 1 - 3, 10,132 foreign visitors arrived in Phuket, a significant rise of daily arrivals from about 500 visitors per day in the early stages of the sandbox program. This has been an essential relief to the island’s financial situation.

 

....and, just as importantly, how many are now departing?

 

I think the western beaches did reasonably well over the holiday period but people are now leaving. Bangla last night was reasonably busy, but after 11pm (an hour before the current closing time) it got very noticeably quieter.

 

I passed Banana Beach, where it's very easy to judge the numbers, and probably 50% of the vehicles parked compared to a few days ago despite it being a lovely sunny day.

 

At Nai Yang the same story - last week the majority of beach loungers occupied but today very few.

'Increase the isolation beds and rooms because the dirty farang are coming' is what he means.

2 hours ago, Daithi85 said:

So u think Phuket should lockdown? Destroy what's left of the local economy. Ruin people's lives... Unbelievable. 

And what about the other 70 odd provinces who get NO help from the government or anybody else? I suppose they are only farmers and peasants and don't really matter?

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

And what about the other 70 odd provinces who get NO help from the government or anybody else? I suppose they are only farmers and peasants and don't really matter?

The news article is about Phuket. 

4 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

From January 1 - 3, 10,132 foreign visitors arrived in Phuket,

And how many arrived on test and go ? Arrivals are about to take a nose dive that's for sure if they do not reinstate it. 

21 minutes ago, Daithi85 said:

The news article is about Phuket. 

So according to you only Phuket is important and not the rest of Thailand?

7 minutes ago, billd766 said:

So according to you only Phuket is important and not the rest of Thailand?

The article is about Phuket, so I commented on the situation in Phuket. 

4 hours ago, stigar said:

Well..i guess alot more tourists will test positive and the hospitels will be so happy.This is unbelivable.

I would not go here even i get paid.

Great idea! Only people who have business or family matters should be allowed to enter Thailand during this pandemic time. Tourists can visit Thailand months later when things get better.

28 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

And how many arrived on test and go ? Arrivals are about to take a nose dive that's for sure if they do not reinstate it. 

They will nose dive, before test and go the arrivals to sandbox was averaging around 700 a day. 
 

This will not only affect Phuket people but also all the entertainment and tourism related workers who travelled back to Phuket from the Provinces to work here again.

My 23 January flight to BKK was just canceled by the airline. I thought about rebooking to Phuket, by why bother?

 

Too great a chance they'll change the rules for entry before I arrive. 

This evening.. Walking Street was shut down with the bars .. 

 

1 hour ago, NicholasTH said:

This evening.. Walking Street was shut down with the bars .. 

 

What time did they close? 

2 minutes ago, Daithi85 said:

What time did they close? 

I don’t think they got the chance to open I was looking at some live feeds on YouTube it was about 7 / 8ish 

Just now, NicholasTH said:

I don’t think they got the chance to open I was looking at some live feeds on YouTube it was about 7 / 8ish 

I'm not hearing much about ko Samui, I wonder how life is there. 

Just now, Daithi85 said:

I'm not hearing much about ko Samui, I wonder how life is there. 

I was looking at number of area in Thailand last night it was like a very slow Sunday.. not a soul in sight.. 

16 hours ago, Daithi85 said:

So u think Phuket should lockdown? Destroy what's left of the local economy. Ruin people's lives... Unbelievable. 

Well the rest of the country is probably asking why the favouritism for Phuket?

 

What you mention about peoples lives getting ruined is happening in many other tourist areas.

 

For me, they open everywhere, that's what the rest of the world is starting to do, reduce restrictions.

4 hours ago, NicholasTH said:

This evening.. Walking Street was shut down with the bars .. 

 

what was the reason for this, Covid number heavily on the rise?

 

or....

1 minute ago, HashBrownHarry said:

what was the reason for this, Covid number heavily on the rise?

 

or....

On the rise also check out Pattaya.? 8pm last night 

Just now, NicholasTH said:

On the rise also check out Pattaya.? 8pm last night 

You're comparing apples to oranges, aint there strict rules for entry into places in Pattaya, ATK test before entering etc?

Phuket is supose to be restrcition free....sort of.

Just now, HashBrownHarry said:

You're comparing apples to oranges, aint there strict rules for entry into places in Pattaya, ATK test before entering etc?

Phuket is supose to be restrcition free....sort of.

I think theirs a lot of bs been thrown about to save face .. 

25 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

Well the rest of the country is probably asking why the favouritism for Phuket?

 

What you mention about peoples lives getting ruined is happening in many other tourist areas.

 

For me, they open everywhere, that's what the rest of the world is starting to do, reduce restrictions.

I agree with u 100 percent.

5 minutes ago, Daithi85 said:

I agree with u 100 percent.

Because you can shut down an Island easier compared to other things..

Even if there were 1000 Positive cases a Day, we all know the Sandbox would remain open

Of course they do.  Each Covid positive asymptomatic tourist rakes into hundreds of thousand baht for private hospitals and quarantine hotels.  More money can probably be made from a Covid positive tourist than a tourist just touring.

17 hours ago, stigar said:

Well..i guess alot more tourists will test positive and the hospitels will be so happy.This is unbelivable.

I would not go here even i get paid.

I've warned my friends back home and nobody is interested in dealing with Thailand until these scams to drain as much money as possible from foreigner who pop positive for Covid but are asymptomatic.  Feed foreigners to expensive hospitals while allowing Thai to quarantine in field hospitals or at home.  Why not.  The Thai Supreme court said bleeding foreigners is OK because we all are rich.
Not discriminatory - Farangs!