Thailand confirms Phuket Sandbox: doors open from July everything you need to know
Approved in Thailand just over two months ago, in late March, the "Phuket Sandbox" plan is still active. [...]
Thai Airways
HKT
Approved in Thailand just over two months ago, in late March, the "Phuket Sandbox" is still active. Good news for anyone who was planning to visit this beautiful part of the world. For a long time there had been silence about the operation, and considering the many government turnabouts, it was not so crazy to think that this had gone into oblivion.
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Doors open from theJuly 1, 2021, as specified by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, which sent official communications to its industry partners, emphasizing that the plan was never taken off the table. This time there seems to be every intention to stick to the plan. From March 2020 to now it is certainly not the first one, proposed, announced and publicized. All the others, however, have ended in nothing. There is one month to go until the indicated date, and perhaps this really is the time for those who want to return to Thailand.
Travel to Thailand: what is the Phuket Sandbox
The Government of Thailand does not intend to announce any new backward steps. The "Phuket Sandbox" will be activated on July 1, allowing access to the vaccinated tourists, with a mandatory quarantine period, at least initially. This process should be cancelled later, once a convincing percentage of vaccinated within the national population of 70% has been reached. No quarantine, on the other hand, will be envisaged should the vaccination plan meet its timeline during June.
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However, the inoculation process does not turn out to be as rapid as one might hope. The month of June will hopefully be crucial in this regard, bringing it closer to the hoped-for quota, at least as far as the first dose is concerned. To facilitate the process, the use of the Sinopharm Chinese vaccine, for emergency situations. It is the fifth approved by the government, following AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna.
Phuket will represent the first decisive step in the return of mass tourism, only to see the entire country open its doors by October 2021. To gain access to this area, however, you must have received both doses of the vaccine in your country, as specified by Yuthasak Supasorn, head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
The conditions imposed on tourists
To enter Thailand from July 1, 2021, taking advantage of "Phuket Sandbox," it will be mandatory to comply with certain conditions. Here are which ones:
- Tourists admitted to Phuket must have received both doses of the vaccine in their home country
- Travelers, upon arrival in Phuket, will be required to undergo a Covid-19 test. Access, with no quarantine requirement, will be allowed only in case of a negative result
- The reservation made must include a minimum stay of 7 nights on the island. At the end of that period, it will be possible to move around Thailand without restriction
- No mandatory quarantine is planned. This outlook provides for government compliance with the vaccination plan, proceeding with room coverage of 70%
It is worth noting that the government still requires obtaining the Certificate of Entry (CoE) from the Embassy. June will therefore be the decisive month for in-country vaccinations and, of course, to take advantage of any offers related to Thai Airways, which has already reactivated different routes. On the official website it is also possible to book flights from Italy, although an announcement about the temporary suspension of connections to and from our country still camps on the home page.
