Phuket
- Covid-19 News
Phuket officials add new layers of restrictions, Central closed for 7 days
It’s starting to get real in Phuket. New measures have been announced to further restrict the gathering places for people. Meanwhile, for now, the Sandbox continues unabated. The new restrictions are effective until at least August 2. The province has already surpassed its threshold of 90 cases in a week, earlier cited as the upper limit before the government would…
- Phuket News
Phuket vice governor says “Sandbox” tourists aren’t scared off by Covid situation
Thailand’s latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 isn’t scaring away potential “Phuket Sandbox” tourists… at least that’s what the island province’s vice governor says. The official recently shot back claims that around a third of tourists who entered under the new reopening scheme decided to return home because of the continuous rise of Covid-19 infections and deaths. Under the…
- Thailand News
Thai baht goes from top-performing to worst-hit currency in Asia
Before the pandemic, the Thai baht was the strongest-performing currency in Asia. Now, it’s the worst-hit currency in the region, according to Japan-based Mizuho Bank. The Thai economy has been shrinking over the past year, hitting lows which some compare to the contraction during the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The Japanese bank says the under-performance of the Thai baht is…
- Things To Do
Top 5 best island tours in Phuket
Phuket is surrounded by numerous islands waiting to be explored. Some destinations can be reached easily by boat, but others need a little planning and effort. Therefore, taking part in the best Phuket island tours will undoubtedly make your vacation more memorable and easier. With so many places to explore and activities to do, it can be hard to decide…
- Phuket News
New Covid-19 infections drop, still worrisome for Phuket Sandbox
Following a concerning spike in Covid-19 cases this weekend, the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office reported that cases dropped today to 11, still worrisomely high. Of the 11 new infections, one was from a Phuket Sandbox international traveller, bringing the total number of Sandboxers infected to 22. The 11 new Covid-19 infections push Phuket past the 900 mark with a…
- Phuket News
Phuket “car mob” protest demands the removal of PM, calls for mRNA vaccines
Hundreds of cars and motorcycles drove through Phuket in a so-called “car mob” rally, calling for the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and the procurement of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. Many have criticised the Thai government as it grapples with the most severe wave of Covid-19, a limited supply of vaccines and the emergence of the highly transmissible Delta variant. Earlier…
- Phuket News
18 infections today in Phuket creeps closer to 90/week threshold
Today saw an infection spike in new local Covid-19 cases in Phuket, crossing the daily average number that threatens the future of the Sandbox scheme. Officials had laid out several factors that could cause the Sandbox to be reconsidered or even cancelled, chief among them was if weekly infections crossed over 90 people a week. Today saw 18 new local…
- Phuket News
Phuket company plans to pitch “Diving Sandbox” for liveaboard trips
A local diving company is working on a project to offer liveaboard dive excursions to travellers entering Thailand through the “Phuket Sandbox” travel scheme. Under the plan in the works by Seafarer Divers, travellers would get picked up directly from the airport after arriving in Thailand and be transferred to a dive tour boat. While on board the boat, the…
- Phuket News
“Sandboxers” can travel to specified islands and beaches after 7 days in Phuket
A new rule for the “Phuket Sandbox” was passed allowing visitors under the reopening scheme to travel to specified islands after spending 7 days in Phuket. The rule goes into effect on August 1. The islands include Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, which are off the coast of Surat Thani in the Gulf of Thailand. The trio…
- Thailand video news
Good Morning Thailand | Vaccinologist AP Helen – Part 2, Bodies in BKK streets, alternative flights
Second part of an interview with Associate Professor Helen Petousis Harris – Vaccinologist and Director of the Vaccine Data Link and Research Group at the University of Auckland. Nok Air come up with a way of getting around the Dark Red Zone flight issue, Chon Buri in virtual lockdown, getting on and off Phuket. Your comments and questions.
- Covid-19 News
Yet another update to rules for entering Phuket, new exceptions
Perhaps feeling restless as it had been a day or two since any changes or additions to the constantly evolving rules to enter the Phuket Sandbox had been made, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew issued a new provincial order granting special entry exceptions for certain people. The order would allow qualifying people passing through Phuket briefly to only present one of…
- Thailand video news
Good Morning Thailand | Interview with vaccinologist, Andaman Sandbox, Covid updates
Click the link to watch… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYVl2S0zg24 Today Tim and Jay speak with Associate Professor Helen Petousis Harris – Vaccinologist and Director of the Vaccine Data Link and Research Group at the University of Auckland. The Andaman sandbox, Stephanie Update and the latest covid updates. Plus all your comments and questions. https://covid-19.in.th/en
- Phuket News
New Phuket checkpoint rules see 392 people denied yesterday
New restrictions for entering Phuket announced Sunday went into effect yesterday, causing a rash of nearly 400 people to be turned away at the entrance checkpoint. While previous rules allowed unvaccinated people meeting certain criteria to enter, now everyone who enters Phuket needs to be fully vaccinated in addition to testing negative for Covid-19. This new strict requirement applies to…
- Phuket News
Boat tours to nearby islands offered to Phuket “Sandbox” travellers
“Phuket Sandbox” tourists can travel to nearby islands on special “sealed” boat tours during their required 14-day stay in the province. Travellers must enable the tracing application “Mor Chana” and notify the Phuket Marine Office or the Phuket Sandbox Command Center at least 6 hours before the trip. Groups of tourists who wish to travel and participate in marine activities…
- Phuket News
Sandbox traveller escaped to Chon Buri, faces prosecution
A person who came into Thailand under the Phuket Sandbox plan left the island before completing the 14-day stay and now faces prosecution. A Thai national stayed just 9 days in their SHA Plus hotel before disappearing without checking out, according to Phuket Provincial Public Health Office Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon. The person’s gender was not revealed, but it was…
- Phuket News
Bus services in and out of Phuket suspended for the next 2 weeks
For the next 2 weeks, all interprovincial bus services entering and leaving Phuket will be suspended. The move is intended to prevent the spread of Covid-19 on the island province as it reopens to travellers from overseas under the “Phuket Sandbox.” The president of the national bus service company, known in Thai as “BorKorSor,” Sanlak Panyawatthanalikit, ordered for the “temporary…
- Travel
Top 5 budget hotels in Phuket
Phuket is a beautiful island with so many exciting things to do. From stunning beaches and beautiful nature to lively nightlife and delicious food, it’s easy to see why people keep coming back to this island. While Phuket is well-known as one of the most expensive places to travel to in Thailand, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find a…
- Best of
Phuket’s best local seafood restaurants
If there’s one thing you have to do in Phuket, it’s sampling the local-style seafood. With fishermen bringing in local catches daily, there’s never a shortage of restaurants on the island that serve up mouthwatering seafood cooked in authentic Thai style! From beachfront restaurants to hidden venues set on the edge of mangrove swamps, here are our picks of the…
- Phuket News
All domestic travellers entering Phuket need to be vaccinated against Covid-19
All domestic travellers entering Phuket must be vaccinated against Covid-19 and also test negative for the virus. The new rules imposed by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew go into effect today and will be in place until at least August 2. The island province reopened to foreign tourists who are vaccinated against the coronavirus on July 1, amid the most severe…
- Thailand video news
Good Morning Thailand | Sandbox report card, Flightus Interruptus, poll results
(Sorry, internet cut out near the end of the program) Jay and Tim present the Sandbox and Samui Plus report card. Has the Sandbox been a success? Whilst the cases pile up in Thailand’s Dark Red Zones, Samui and Phuket battle on in a parallel Covid world. Jay also presents the poll results about the main issue that should concern…
- Phuket News
Phuket officials concerned over “Sandboxers” who test positive for Covid on arrival
Out of the so-called “Sandboxers” who tested positive for Covid-19 since the Phuket reopening started on July 1, half of the infections were detected after the first test taken at the airport on arrival. The positive results conflict with the travellers’ negative results issued no more than 72 hours before departure, a requirement under the “Phuket Sandbox” model. Noticing a…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 10,082 new infections, provincial numbers
This morning the public health department has announced 10,082 new infections & 141 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours across Thailand. The two figures are a record number of cases for the Kingdom and sweep the numbers over the psychological barriers of 10,000 cases and 100 sad deaths. Yesterday there were 3,367 in ICU and 847 on ventilators. 127…
- Covid-19 News
Home Covid-19 test kits approved, but not for travel
With Covid-19 on the rise, screening kit shortages have left people waiting for RT-PCR tests from professional testing sites and medical facilities. Now Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration approved 4 Covid-19 antigen test kits that can be purchased over-the-counter for home use to test for the virus. The 4 approved self-testing kits will allow people concerned that they may have…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sandbox looking ahead to Russian, UK travellers
While the daily rollercoaster ride of the Phuket Sandbox tourist launch, with the jump from 7 to 14 days, the last-minute approval, the problems getting a Certificate of Entry, and the few cases of Covid-19 infections, it’s easy to overlook the forest for the trees. But if viewed not as a full reopening to the pre-Covid-19 heydays but rather as…
- Thailand video news
Good Morning Thailand | The Thai time machine, Thai paperwork and red tape, Covid update
Have you ever experienced Thai time? Thai time seems to tick by at a totally different pace. Some people find it exasperating, others recognise it as part of the Thai ‘sabia sabia’ culture. And then there’s Thai paperwork. When efficiency sometimes takes second place, there’s still mounds of paperwork to fill out where red tape becomes a national sport. Jay,…
- Covid-19 News
Bars can reopen in Rawai Phuket.. but not like we hoped
The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived! After mounting pressure and a meeting today with Aroon Solos, the mayor of Rawai, Phuket, bars, pubs and entertainment venues will be allowed to reopen. Just without any of the things that bring customers. The mayor of Rawai met with the Muang District Chief and a select group of…
- Phuket News
Meeting reveals Thai vs foreigners in Phuket Sandbox, other stats
Statistics and data regarding the Phuket Sandbox can be cloudy and conflicting, but at yesterday’s meeting of the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee, some rarely shared figures were discussed. One often questioned detail is how many people in the numbers reported for international traveller arrivals are truly tourists and how many are even foreigners at all. During the meeting, it was…
- Tourism News
Royal Thai Army to help tighten overland checkpoint into Phuket
Following reports of insufficient security on the land borders into Phuket, the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee made the decision to have the Royal Thai Army assist in monitoring the Phuket Checkpoint at Tha Chatchai for Covid-19 safety. There have been concerns that the land crossing into Phuket is understaffed and not secure. The committee meeting was Chaired by Phuket Governor…
- Thailand video news
Good Morning Thailand | What are your rights in Thailand? Sandbox and Samui Plus update
Today Tim and Sumi talk with Benjamin Hart from Integrity Legal regarding your rights for ASQ and enforced quarantine. Sandbox and Samui Plus Update. Your questions answered. Covid latest and the main headlines from Thailand today.
- Tourism News
Officials argue most leaving Sandbox aren’t unhappy
Nothing shows confidence more than repeatedly shouting “fake news.” But amid growing negative press regarding the Phuket Sandbox, officials find themselves continuously denying rumours that Sandbox arrivals are fleeing the island and going home unhappy. While many have left the Sandbox, more have arrived, and the government’s argument isn’t without merit as those who left the Sandbox have various reasons.…
