Reopening guidelines for Phuket and Samui

In a press release, the Tourism Authority of Thailand recently sought to lay out and clarify guidelines for how Thailand’s reopening will begin. The Phuket Sandbox plan rolls out first on July 1 (awaiting final approval), followed by a proposal for Surat Thani province reopening Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao on a sealed route July 15.

Here’s the current guidelines of what travellers need to do before travelling, how arriving will work, what the restrictions are during your stay, and how to travel on after restricted arrival periods are finished. Both ‘sandbox’ and ‘sealed route proposals are awaiting final approval by Cabinet and inclusion in the Royal Gazette.

NOTE: There could be changes to these proposals in coming weeks. The Thaiger is constantly updating with the latest information.

BEFORE TRAVELLING

• A Certificate of Entry can be obtained at entrythailand.go.th with the required documents listed below.
• Must be coming from a country with low- to medium risk for Covid-19
  • Must have been in that country for at least 3 weeks
  • Applies to foreigners AND Thai citizens
  • List of approved countries will be updated frequently here. (The page is in Thai but the update links are posted newest first and the bottom of most update files has a chart listing from left to right: low risk, medium risk, high risk countries)
• Must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 for at least 2 weeks before your travel date
  • Must carry a vaccine certificate to confirm vaccination
  • Vaccine must be an approved brand by either the Ministry of Public Health or the World Health Organisation
• If you have already had Covid-19, you are still required to be fully vaccinated for at least 2 weeks before travel
• Kids less than 6 years old can travel with a fully vaccinated guardian or parent
• Must have a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of travel
• Must carry Covid-19 health insurance with US $100,000 coverage minimum

ARRIVING IN THAILAND

• On arrival, standard immigration and customs procedures will apply
• RT-PCR tests will be given to screen for Covid-19
• Travellers must install an alert application on their mobile devices
• Proceed directly to an approved, pre-booked hotel and wait for test results
• Phuket
  • Must be an SHA Plus-certified accommodation
  • Once test is negative, travel through Phuket is allowed
• Samui
  • Must be an Alternative Local Quarantine accommodation
  • Once test is negative, travellers can leave their room but remain on the accommodation property.

BEGINNING OF STAY IN THAILAND

• Covid-19 RT-PCR tests will be given following Ministry of Public Health guidelines
• Must follow the DMHTTA guidelines: Distancing, Mask wearing, Handwashing, Temperature check, Testing for Covid-19, and Alert application
• Phuket
  • No minimum stay if departing internationally
  • Must stay 14 days in Phuket province before travelling to other areas of Thailand.
• Samui
  • Days 1-3: Can move within accommodation only
  • Days 4-7: Can travel on specific sealed routes on Koh Samui
  • Days 8-14: Can travel freely in Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao

FURTHER TRAVEL IN THAILAND

• Must show proof that the 14-day arrival stay has been completed
• Must follow guidelines and restrictions declared by the destination province

NOTE: In ALL cases please check the latest details from your Thai embassy before making final bookings. Overseas embassies will not have final details about the Sandbox or Sealed Routes plans until they have been published in the Royal Gazette.

SOURCE: TAT Newsroom