Faced with an increase in contamination linked to Covid-19, Thailand is slowing down its reopening to tourism.
The province of Phuket will ban entries from the rest of the country from August 3 to 16, 2021.
Objective ?
Preserve the island from the epidemic, while the kingdom undergoes a third wave much more violent than the previous ones.
Thailand reported 18,027 infections and 133 deaths on Sunday, August 1.
Read also: Thailand: after Phuket, three other islands reopen to vaccinated international travelers
This travel restriction applies to Thais, but does not affect vaccinated foreign tourists traveling under the "Phuket Sandbox" program.
Since July 1, vaccinated travelers from a large part of the world, including France, can travel to the island of Phuket without observing a quarantine, but on the condition of carrying out two tests during their stay.
After 14 nights / 15 days, they are allowed to travel to the other provinces of the country.
Three other islands reopened in turn on July 15 (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao).
Phuket has recorded 12,395 arrivals since its reopening and 292,832 overnight stays booked until the end of September, as the
Bangkok Post
recalls
.
Going from one island to another is forbidden
For the
Bangkok Post
, French tourists are the most eager to come back to Thailand.
ROMEO GACAD / AFP
The "
7 + 7 Islands Excursions
" initiative
, which should have come into effect on August 1, is suspended at least until August 15, pending approval from the Covid Situation Administration Center. -19 (CCSA), Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said last weekend.
This program was to allow tourists to visit another island for seven days at the end of the seven days spent in Phuket. These islands are: Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao in the province of Surat Thani; Koh Phi Phi, Koh Ngai and Railay Beach in Krabi province; Khao Lak, Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai in Phang Nga province.
While Phuket has a high vaccination rate, with 70% of the population fully vaccinated, this is far from the case in the rest of the country. As of July 25, 2021, only 5.23% of Thais were fully vaccinated, while 17.63% of the population had received a dose. Curfews and restrictions have been reinstated in most provinces for several weeks. In the capital Bangkok, shopping malls close at 8 p.m. and going out is not always allowed between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. What to discourage tourists.
