Phuket welcomes tourists back and there are already those who have tried to be smart

First difficulties arrive for the project "Phuket Sandbox", an initiative by the Thai government to reopen the island to fully vaccinated visitors. Tourists in Phuket can move around the entire island, but not travel to other parts of the country for 14 days.

A few days ago a tourist from the United Arab Emirates, just arrived with a group of tourists as part of the Sandbox program, tested positive for Covid despite being fully vaccinated and presented a negative test at the start.

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The person was thus hospitalized for 14 days and the entire group moved to a quarantined hotel. This is the first confirmed case within a week of Phuket's opening, a positivity that ignites controversy and casts many doubts on the program created by the Thai government to boost tourism.

The UAE man arrived Tuesday with a group of tourists and was immediately found to be positive. The provincial health bureau reported that a sample was taken from the tourist upon his arrival at Phuket International Airport before he went to his hotel.

Phuket sandbox program, three tourists violate rules

Immediately after finding the positive, health officials immediately informed the hotel manager and took the tourist to the hospital for treatment. Other tourists in the same group had been placed in a 14-day quarantine at a hotel provided by the province for observation and Covid-19 testing. From July 1 to 7, they arrived in Phuket 2,113 tourists who are part of the Sandbox program. Versions are conflicting, and some report that not all costs will be borne by travelers if a passenger tests positive. What is certain is that there is no provision for another test to see if the tourist who tested positive was in fact a false positive.

Thailand really opens, first tourists arrive in Phuket on July 1

Meanwhile. Another Sandbox program tourist escaped the system. The man did not go to his hotel, but moved to the home of his Thai wife and son. It was reported by the hotel that noticed the missing check-in. The other established case involves an 84-year-old elderly man with Alzheimer's disease. The tourist left the hotel without his cell phone where the tracking software was. The man went to a local supermarket and was discovered only because in his confused state he could not remember where his hotel was.

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The requirements for entering the Sandbox program

• Certificate of vaccination/evidence of vaccination
• ThailandPlus APP installation on cell phone for contact tracing
• RT-PCR testing prior to arrival and during the stay in Phuket
• COVID-19 Insurance
• Certificate of Entry (COE) issued by the Thai embassy/consulate.
• Stay in a SHA+ accredited hotel in Phuket only.
• COVID 19 RT-PCR Test Prepaid in Phuket
• Currently you have to fly directly to Phuket no stopover in Bangkok is possible

If tourists stay less than 14 days in Phuket, they will have to depart Phuket to an international destination. In case the days of stay are more than 14, he/she may travel to any domestic destination in Thailand.

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