Phuket Sandbox: Electronic wristband, tracking app, cameras and heavy penalties for violations
Anklet for house arrest
From July 1, fully vaccinated tourists from safe countries (few corona infections) can travel to Phuket without the mandatory quarantine. You must then stay on the island for 14 days. The Thai government is making preparations for this that, at first glance, do not indicate a hospitable reception.
Provincial officials are already preparing and practicing for it. They will soon check tourists at Phuket airport, the ports of the island and the checkpoint Tha Chat Chai (bridge to the island). Checks are held there to check whether tourists are not secretly trying to 'escape' from the island.
According to the Bangkok Post, a number of strict measures are being taken to ensure that vaccinated tourists do not spread Covid-19 to the local population and to prevent foreign tourists from violating the rules of the Sandbox project. For that, tourists will need to download the Mor Chana tracking app and will be required to wear wristbands for location tracking. This is in case they accidentally leave their phone in the hotel. Officials have confirmed that facial recognition cameras will be installed to identify vaccinated tourists trying to travel elsewhere in Thailand before the mandatory 14-day stay on Phuket is over. In addition, there will be penalties not only for tourists who break the rules, but for anyone who tries to help them.
These new measures come on top of quite a few requirements that vaccinated foreigners must meet before they can fly to Phuket. This includes a CoE from the Thai Embassy, proof of a negative PCR test (up to 72 hours old), health insurance of at least US$100.000, and proof of payment for a booking at a government-approved hotel.
Upon arrival at Phuket Airport, they will be retested (at their own expense) for Covid-19 before being transferred to their accommodation. This is followed by a PCR test twice more on day 6 and day 13, again at your own expense.
The vice-governor of Phuket, Phichet Panaphong, thinks that 129.000 foreign tourists will take all these mandatory rules for granted and will still visit Phuket. The local entrepreneurs have little confidence in the Sandbox experiment and are holding their breath.
Source: Bangkok Post
Sociability knows no time on the prison island of Phuket, which is also completely deserted.
That's why I called it an Alcatraz experience in the tropics. Something different than an escape room.
Why, hospitable Thailand! It's like choosing between Phuket and Pyongyang.
I think it's an unfortunate and forced plan. If you only let tourists into the whole country with full vaccination, wouldn't you be doing better? Isolating an island is an impossible task, despite all the apps and ankle bracelets.
I would rather be in favor of obliging every “tourist” to permanently wear a fluorescent helmet with a built-in Wi-Fi antenna (a matter of accurate tracking) with possibly a small flag of the country of origin to indicate the good and bad “ farangs” to better distinguish.
The helmet could then be provided with a “pink light” that would remind the luxury prisoner or rather tourist that it is time or time to take PCR test “no. 2,3 or 4”.
In my opinion, this would fit perfectly in the context of the increased / imposed circus measures.
mr. the Minister, mr. the Governor … “please act normal”.
A bad plan for a free westerner, but I wonder if the Chinese tourists have a problem with it.
You may have to realize that more and more Chinese tourists are wealthy, between 25 and 40 years old, speak English and travel on their own.
The picture of group travel by average and below-average Chinese is not correct. In addition, many of these Chinese (mostly from Hong Kong) have their own apartment in Bangkok or Phuket because it is so cheap here. And these Chinese behave just like other foreign tourists and are not a flock of sheep chasing a flag.
Chinese tourists still do not come to Thailand because they also have to quarantine when they return there. Group travel is still prohibited from China. So all predictions about numbers are without any input from China.
The Chinese tourist has absolutely no problems with it, moreover they are almost seen as compatriots and treated as such, because the Thai / Siamese is also of Chinese origin and perhaps the Thailand of today will also be a new Chinese province in the future , given China's expansion drive.
haha, the Chinese are seen as compatriots. Not even close to the truth. Most Thai hate the Chinese. From Isaan to Bangkok, Chinese, they shouldn't. Thailand is a very racist country, if you didn't already know. LOS, yes. But behind the back people talk very differently about Farang and especially about the Chinese.
Don't think the idea is that bad, I've considered it too.
But put everything together and still opted for the 14-day quarantine in a hotel.
The reason not to do it is mainly in the fact that each province decides for itself and what if you are no longer allowed to go to your house in another province for those 2 weeks in Phuket because they just happen to have a lockdown or an entry ban .
It is also not so easy for your partner to come to Phuket.
The Phuket plan as discussed above has to do with tourism and nothing to do with how to travel to Thailand to realize a return to family. See the website of the TH embassy for this. And so when it comes to the Phuket plan as discussed above, I can only conclude that they are there, etc. etc.!!
True, the approach is tourism, but many Dutch people who have been separated from their family for 10 months will also consider spending those 14 days here instead of in an ASQ hotel. I also wrote that, that I also considered it and then let my wife come to Phuket. But because there are so many snags to this, we decided together not to do that.
And of course I could have gone back earlier, I also considered going back earlier, but when I received the call for a vaccination in mid-April, we decided in good consultation that I first get the vaccination in NL and then return. Everyone has their own reason to stay a little longer. And that goes for the NL people who are now staying longer in TH, but also vice versa, the \NL people who are now in NL each have their own good reason not to go back yet. For one it is health and for the other it is financial and yet another has another good reason.
Completely crazy and it shows how little knowledge people have of viruses.
Let's be honest. With elections coming up, the government should try to spare both the cabbage and the goat: do as much as possible to recruit tourists (until the election date) but on the other hand take as little risk as possible. If even 1 Thai citizen is infected by a foreign tourist in Phuket, it is the fault of the government, of the PPRP. Not from Prayut because he is not a member of the party. Prawit and Iron Eater and Australian pancake maker Prompreaw are on edge to keep him out of the wind. They are willing to sacrifice their own future to it, for a reasonable fee of course. (a new Patek-Philippe watch for Prawit and a pancake restaurant for Prompreaw)
They shouldn't complain on Phuket. Every 1000 tourists there are 1000, and there are none now. And if all goes well, a new government (led by whom do you think?) can roll out the sandbox over the country. If it goes wrong, it will not cost the government its jobs.
If this had been published on April 1, I would have thought it a very good joke.
In the past, Bangkok Post has not always been my most reliable source of information. But must conclude that other media take over this (fake?) message, and add photos from the prison world.
As far as I know, no Thai minister or agency closely involved in the Sandbox model has spoken about the mandatory wearing of an electronic wristband. And that's what I'm sticking to (for now?).
Well, we will experience the practice, perhaps many Chinese who take it for granted, but I fear that the Europeans have little or no interest in this. At least we under no circumstances, ridiculous measures. My thought is (after a failed sandbox) that 2 months later in Thailand on September 1 everything will be different again. New regulations that will hopefully be more tourist friendly. Many hotels remain closed just like restaurants and bars in Phuket, only the more expensive hotels are allowed to receive guests, this is absurd for the local population there, who have to rely on tourists. And for the Farang no fun with all these restrictions. It is better to quarantine in Bangkok for 2 weeks immediately upon arrival and then go ahead, I think.
I don't think Chinese people are allowed to travel.
If they do, they must be quarantined for 3 or 4 weeks. And that quarantine is just a bit different there than here in the Netherlands.
It may be true that the Chinese have to be quarantined for 4 weeks, but for how long? The Chinese are slowly taking over everything in Thailand, that is what the Lords above are also striving for, so this mass of Chinese will soon be back in Thailand, sooner than we think. The 14-day quarantine is certainly slightly different but very doable, my wife has just finished the 14-day SQ, no complaints and everything was neatly arranged. Now at home with her family where she is reunited without restrictions.
Unfounded criticism of the Chinese is starting to annoy me, comparable to comments about other population groups anywhere. People (Chinese) don't take over much and at most they buy real estate such as condos like other foreigners, Dutch people do that too. The Dutch are bigger investors in Thailand, just like Japan and some other countries, I have mentioned numbers in this blog that you can easily look up on the internet. In addition, the Thai government does not have a good relationship with the Chinese at all, which is evident from the fact that joint projects do not get off the ground after years of consultation (Bangkok to Korat rail project), in addition, the Thais are chauvinistic and all in all there are at most some entrepreneurs with ties to China, but in general Thailand is broadly oriented and focuses on many other countries.
“It seems to me that you can go your own way afterwards”
That's not entirely correct, depending on where you go. If you come from a dark / red province to a yellow province, you have to quarantine for another 14 days at home, that will immediately stand out in a village and a larger city I don't know how people deal with that.
Anyway, you're back home and I had the space of the house, terrace and farm, but every day came with taking the temperature.
All restaurants and bars will open from today. I'm on Phuket now and that's the latest news here. The beaches are getting fuller and alcohol is now also served. In fact, I can literally see them walking in front of my house with cocktails and beer. So your story is wrong. The latest news is: Everything open from today. Bangla will also open again for the first time tonight at 19:00.
Why does someone who is fully vaccinated still have to undergo 3 PCR tests? I can follow that there is still 1 test to be done, but 3 times?? Don't understand it at all. This makes me feel that tourists are no longer needed or welcome in Thailand…
Four tests even, namely one before departure. And when you fly back home from Thailand, possibly even a fifth, depending on the rules in force at that time….
Improvement : 4 tests !!
1 at home, within 72 hours of arrival in Thailand
1 on arrival
1 after day 6
1 on day 13
pffff
It is much better and clearer for everyone to leave everything as it is now arranged. This will happen until the Thai population is more vaccinated and global control leads to better results. So no entry relaxations for Thailand before 2022, no matter how bad it may be for the economy, the population that lives from tourism and to a lesser extent for tourists. This last group has many other options
3 PCR tests each 3000 baht so vacation will be several hundred euros more expensive per person.
Is now on day 10 of quarantine would not recommend to anyone if the reason is only holiday. Will be amended or withdrawn.
Sorry Lou,
But PCR tests for farang in most tourist places and with English certificate now at 5200 bath ! This includes the clinics of Bangkok Hospital in Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, etc.
And just find another clinic that issues a certificate in English…
At the Sriburin hospital in Chiang Rai 3300 baht.
I paid 3700 baht in Hua hin bangkok hospital incl certificate in English.
@Loe,
It is not clear to me how you arrive at a price of ฿3000 per RT-PCR test. On the internet I saw that price at Thai Travel Clinic (https://www.thaitravelclinic.com/FrontNews/covid19-med-certificate-en-2.html), but it's in Bangkok. You cannot have those 3 tests done there, because you are not allowed to leave the island for the first 2 weeks.
At Bangkok Hospital Siriroj on Phuket (https://phuketinternationalhospital.com/en/packages/covid-19-test/) costs a minimum of ฿3500 per test.
@Hugo and @Cornelis,
Via VFS-Global you can even have RT-PCR tests done for prices starting at ฿2500. https://www.vfsglobal.com/en/individuals/covid-test.html
However, that is of little use if you are not allowed to leave the island to have those tests done. This is only interesting for people who are already in Thailand near Bangkok and want to go to Phuket.
For someone who wants to see his Thai wife or family again after the many months of the ongoing pandemic, I find it understandable that he wants to buy a lot of hardship for this.
Those who think that they can also have a nice holiday here should be mentally confused in addition to the required full vaccination, expensive insurance, and the mandatory electronic wristband + control and threatening punishments etc.
Mentally confused because almost nothing will remind you of Phuket before this pandemic, and the name Phuket should actually be renamed Phukchin, partly because of these rules. (half Phuket and China)
The tourists who are now going to be so enslaved by this government's absurd rules, are basically nothing else than the economic builders of the remaining tourism sector, where this same Thai government has largely failed to provide social support.
I would say have a nice holiday, I'll wait a while!!
Read in a number of responses whether the Chinese who find these measures acceptable and will go to Phuket. However, nothing could be further from the truth, because Chinese people (from the People's Republic) are not yet allowed to travel internationally at all and there is a – in mere – 21-day quarantine for Chinese people who return from another country.
It is of course really "terrible" that it is made so difficult for Western tourists to take a holiday in Thailand. But it's really terrible for the people living in the slums of Bangkok and the refugees trying to avoid the violence in neighboring Myanmar.
The Western tourist is lucky that he/she lives in Europe and can enjoy regular holidays. Many in this unequal world are happy with a plate of rice.
Make it simple. Stay away from countries that make it difficult to spend your money there.
Just wait and see – there may be a time when everything will become better and, above all, freer, whether or not by necessity.
Spend your pennies waiting for better days elsewhere in this world.
That's really the only thing that will be understood everywhere.
Have a nice holiday
I read quite a few premature conclusions.
1. It won't be official until it's published in the Royal Gazette, which it hasn't yet. Until then there is still time
change everything.
2. The Netherlands is still on the list of countries with too high a risk. Even after the June 15 update.
3. The crux is also in the word tourists. Will only travelers with a
tourist visa allowed? Then many visitors who want to go to Thailand for a long time will drop out
and want to avoid the 14-day quarantine in a hotel in Bangkok.
The TAT sometimes speaks of international visitors and sometimes of tourists.
So still a lot of uncertainty
This is what the government of Thailand has always wanted, namely the track and trace system for the tourist. Even before the pandemic, this was being talked about.
Now under the guise of combating covid we can implement the system. I fear this will continue to be the case for years to come. Especially when the devices are made by the elite of bangkok.
No, if we can go to phuket or even to thailand in this way, we'll skip it anyway. Too bad, but unfortunately I hope to be able to go again. Especially because age will play a role if it is going to take a long time.
For such treatment with all kinds of electronics & control, you must already be a serious criminal in our countries BE / NL 5555!
In Thailand they think that a tourist is willing to pay for Phuket "holiday"
I think most people don't quite understand the idea behind wristbands, anklets and cameras…..
Believe me it is extinct on the streets and beaches, and most of it is closed if not temporarily then permanently….
And if you, as a tourist, cannot ask anyone for directions because of the deserted areas, then such a GPS band is super handy
“Cameras with facial recognition are being installed”, all major cities in China are already full of these cameras, if you, as a pedestrian, ignore a red traffic light, for example, you get a number or asterisk or whatever after your name and it becomes more difficult, for example. to get a mortgage. The Sandbox project may also be used as a test to roll out this camera application throughout Thailand, I wouldn't be surprised given Prayut's close ties with China...
Vaccination fine, I will get it soon anyway, but all those other conditions such as tests that you have to pay yourself, tracking app, wristband, covid insurance, CoE, approved (expensive) hotel, provincial quarantine, face mask obligations, etc. are for me all a NO GO.
2021 will be nothing at all. Perhaps there will be travel relaxations from the beginning of 2022, provided that there is no fourth wave here next fall due to next week's relaxations, returning Spain travelers, mutations and deliberately unvaccinated people.
A good acquaintance of mine also a Dutchman for a long time also living here in my immediate vicinity keep it foreseen in Thailand.
And will go next month, has already bought a house for good to Hungary, I think many will follow.
Oh yes before I forget, let the last ones turn off the lights.
Thailand is becoming more and more China, big brother watching you.
I myself think that China is already in charge here, and that this has not yet dawned on many bloggers.
China number one in having ownership of condos number two the Russians
China when it comes to executing large-scale construction projects.
China's own check-in checkline at the immigration at the airport.
China number one in Thailand.
Janneman.
And don't forget Facebook for the rest of the world. Mark knows everything about you even if you are not on your own or someone else's FB. And he also gets rich by selling all that data. For the sake of completeness, there is no FB in China.
A Dutch friend of mine has been living for about 15 years in Dongguan (Guangdong province) between Guanzhou and Hong Kong and I still have regular contact with him via FB, so FB is indeed used in China.
Yes but probably in a roundabout way and I think VPN is the easiest
https://www.travelchinacheaper.com/how-to-access-facebook-in-china
Hi Jan,
I agree with you Jan.
We bought a house in a residential project in Chiang Mai. The houses have almost all been sold and more than half of the owners are Chinese. Apart from the fact that the Chinese are very noisy and most of them are ill-mannered, I personally have nothing against the Chinese. LOL
Goodbye,
Why would any sane person want to go on vacation to an island that resembles Alcatraz and even sit on a plane for 12 hours or more with face masks and all the previous paperwork and arrangements.
While you can also enjoy many times better resorts and hotels and other holiday accommodations on the many Greek islands.
Not a hair on my head thinking about going to Phuket and I live permanently here in Thailand.
Even if I ever decided what will not happen to go to this island I would also have to comply with all kinds of that nonsense.
But also there when the stomachs are hungry, the ship will turn.
Thailand is heading for a major fiasco thanks to the progressive ideas of an incompetent government.
Time will tell, but I think the end is near.
Janneman.
Don't understand 1 thing; when you're vaccinated, hold on to that expensive / mandatory health insurance! It scares me off, then don't go to Thailand in the near future.
Very few farang are now coming to Thailand, nevertheless the number of covid infections is rising.
First in BK, then in Surat Thani and now in Yala area.
About 3000 new cases every day all over Thailand, so not too bad.
Covid therefore does not enter through farang but through imported Myanmar, Malaysians, which do not go into quarantine. Only farang is a source of income by introducing all kinds of measures.
May also read that infected Thai travel freely, without any form of demand.
Thai woman from Africa with African mutation, also from Pakistan with the Indian virus and a Thai woman (with normal virus?) in an internal flight. Well, say it.
Just read that local farangs in Pattaya, at Memorial hospital now for 4000 baht, MAYBE can get a vaccination at the end of October or so. Modena, payable in advance, while the drug costs 600 baht. Mass is cash register, putting money in the pocket.
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world oh yeahhhh
I don't think it's such a bad plan in itself. Would give it a go, for a 2 week holiday and seriously considering it for August. I like that it's not that busy. It's a different experience though. Those tests don't really matter to me either, I have to do them when I travel here and NL will soon be on the list of safe countries given the current developments. Anyone know what the insurance is like? Is NL health insurance sufficient or do you really need to take out a separate insurance policy? Thank you in advance.