Maya Bay, Krabi’s main tourist attraction since it was featured in the 2000 Leonardo DiCaprio film ‘The Beach’, will remain closed as natural rehabilitation of the beach and bay continues, after vast areas of coral were destroyed by excess tourism and boat traffic.

Indefinitely.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment says that in future boats will not be allowed to enter Maya Bay except from the back side of the island. Yesterday the minister visited Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley to inspect the progress of the recovery of both the land and marine environment. He says corals are not recovering as quickly as expected.

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation announced the closure of Maya Bay on June 1, 2018, banning tourism and related businesses.

“Maya Bay has been rehabilitated for the past year, and there has been great recovery.”

“On the land, many plants, even Morning Glory never seen on Maya Bay before, are growing well. But under the sea, corals are still in a dangerous condition. Many coral species grow at a rate of only 3-5 centimetres in a year, while some species grow only 1-2 centimetres.”

The minister examined the idea of building a harbour at the back of Maya Bay in Loh Samah Bay. A team of academics and environmental experts are inspecting the area. Ships and other marine vehicles will not be allowed to enter Maya Bay directly.

“Maya Bay will not be permanently closed. When the coral growth is complete, then this place will be open to tourists from all over the world.”

SOURCE: Nation Thailand

Phuket’s on a blacklist of sorts, at least as far as the Interior Ministry is concerned. Thailand’s provincial governors have been put on alert to screen everyone arriving from the island province of Phuket. They also been instructed to quarantine anyone suspected of being infected with Covid-19.

Chalerm Promlet, the Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary, issued the instructions to provincial governors after some people, who had been part of last week’s exodus from Phuket, tested positive for the virus when they arrived in their home provinces.

Chalerm also ordered provincial governors to allow entry of these returnees, saying that many are jobless after the closure of businesses in Phuket. Last week Krabi’s deputy governor told his local media that they would prevent Phuket people from coming to his province. He later apologised for his derisive comments.

50,000+ people from Phuket have now registered to leave the island with their prospects for employment at almost zero whilst tourists aren’t allowed to return at this stage. 4 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Phuket yesterday – one in Cherngtalay, a shopkeeper in a Tesco in Wichit, a student in Wichit, and a ‘public servant’ in Patong.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World

Some Krabi residents, joining the exodus from Phuket after the Phuket opened its only land border at Sarasin Bridge last week, were greeted with a mandatory swab-test yesterday. 76 Krabi residents returned from Phuket yesterday,

Krabi’s governor, Kitibadee Prawit, joined public health officials and Krabi Hospital’s director in overseeing collection of swab samples from a group of 76 returnees on Tuesday. 39 had returned from areas in Phuket deemed “at high risk” for Covid-19 transmission – Cherngtalay, Patong, Kathu, and Koh Kaew.

Returnees from those high-risk areas were sent for a state-enforced 14 days holiday, aka. quarantine, at hotels provided in Krabi. The remainder were allowed to quarantine at their homes under the supervision of public health officials.

On Sunday the deputy governor of Krabi province, Somkuan Khan-ngern, claimed that the Phuket departees “had spread coronavirus to his province”.

Later he retracted the comment and apologised to the media saying that his comments were “a thoughtless accusation, made during an inspection of screening checkpoint in Ao Nang”. He said he had no intention to offend the people of Phuket.

The deputy governor had also reportedly initially refused to allow people from Phuket to enter Krabi.

The Phuket provincial administration has been allowing thousands of migrant workers and non-resident Thais to return to leave the island their home provinces. They had been stranded in Phuket, mostly without work, after the Phuket governor sealed off the land, sea and air borders of the island in early April.

Those who want to leave are being told to apply for a “Fit to Travel” permits from the provincial administration, which then have to shown to officials at the Tha Chatchai checkpoint on departure, checkpoints along the way, and their destinations. Some 50,000+ people have registered to leave Phuket since the land border partially opened last week, more than 10% of the island’s permanent population.