Phuket Sandbox Programme that will reopen the island to vaccinated travellers without quarantine has received conditional approval from the National Communicable Diseases Committee (NCDC).

Anutin Charnvirakul, deputy prime minister and public health minister, said that vaccinated tourists must arrive from countries where the rate of infection is moderate or low or where the Covid-19 situation is under control.

Tourists must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before travelling to Thailand and the vaccine they received must be authorised by the World Health Organization. They should obtain a Covid-free certificate issued within 72 hours of arriving in the country, he added.

In preparation for the reopening, the full details of the programme will be finalised by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Friday.

“The CCSA will finally approve the proposal this Friday, including a decision to open for foreign tourists on July 1,” Anutin said. “Currently, 60% of the targeted population to get the vaccine [in Phuket] is already complete, with 330,000 people [vaccinated]. The province will reach its target later this month.”

The Phuket Sandbox Programme is the first step to Thailand’s reopening for vaccinated travellers. If proven effective, the same programme will be implemented in other provinces like Pattaya and Koh Samui.

Source: Bangkok Post