Phuket
- Phuket News
12 Covid-19 violators busted drinking on Patong Beach
12 violators of Covid-19 restrictions, of Thai and foreign origin, have been arrested and taken into custody by police for gathering and drinking in public on Patong Beach. The Covid-19 measures currently in place in Phuket ban all get-togethers involving alcohol, limiting the number that can drink together to just 2 people. The group were arrested for violating this order…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 mask violators in Phuket forced to exercise
For those who have more pounds on their body than pounds in their pocket, exercise punishment seen in Phuket yesterday for mask violators may or may not be welcome. Officials have walked back the strict 6,000 baht punishment for the first warning against someone not wearing a mask and were spotted forcing those who have gone out without a mask…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 3,095 new infections, 17 deaths, provincial totals
The Thai public health ministry has announced 3,095 new cases of Covid-19 along with 17 new deaths from the past 24 hours of provincial totals. 877 of the new infections emerged from Thai prisons again after 3 days of reports with high numbers of cases coming out of key Bangkok prisons. Provincial totals below. • The CCSA has announced adjustments…
- Phuket News
Phuket may ditch light rail and build smart bus system instead
A proposal to drop the light rail planned for Phuket and replace it with a smart bus system is under an in-depth review as ordered by Phuket Transport Minister. Advocates for the smart bus – automated driverless buses on city streets – say that the project would bring mass transportation to Phuket Island for 15.2 billion baht cheaper than a…
- Thailand News
Is Thailand the best country for digital nomads?
Is Thailand the best country in the world for digital nomads? Some think so. The French travel and tourism operator Club Med recently did a study and found that Thailand tops the list of best countries for digital nomads with Phuket as the number one ‘city’ to live in while working remotely. (We acknowledge that Phuket can hardly be regarded…
- Thailand News
Thai factory owners warned over not following disease control measures
Factory owners in Thailand are being warned to strictly adhere to disease control measures set forth by The Department of Disease Control as the risk of spreading Covid-19 is high in such densely populated buildings. The DDC director-general says the Thai Stop Covid Plus platform has surveyed 1,386 factories so far, finding that 76% of them complied with the measures.…
- Phuket News
Update on Phuket’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign
So far, around 22% of the population in Phuket has been vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The island province aims to vaccinate 70% of the population by the end of June to reach “herd immunity”. Officials remain committed to the original plan to reopen to vaccinated foreign travellers by July 1, as ambitious as…
- Covid-19 News
3 organisers of Phuket’s Kolour superspreader event charged
As Thailand still wrestles to control the third wave of Covid-19, much of which stems from entertainment venues in Bangkok and a massive party in Phuket, Patong police announced that the managers of the Phuket venues that hosted the Kolour superspreader event will be charged under the Emergency Decree. The case report was filed with the public prosecutor yesterday according…
- Phuket News
TAT looks forward to welcoming 129,000 foreign tourists to Phuket
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says it expects 129,000 tourists to arrive on the southern island of Phuket in the first 3 months of its re-opening. Officials still insist the island will re-open for quarantine-free travel for vaccinated foreign tourists from July 1. And according to the Bangkok Post, the TAT also plans to team up with airlines to offer…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 infections cast doubt on plan to reopen Phuket July 1
With surging Covid-19 infections, the original plan for Phuket to reopen the international border to tourism on July 1st without quarantine may be unlikely. The governor warned today that the plan may be in jeopardy if they don’t reach the proposed May 15 goal of reducing infections to less than 10 each day. Governor Narong Woonciew called on everyone to…
- Phuket News
30 year old Thai woman found dead in car in Patong from apparent suicide
The Thaiger acknowledges that the names of the family and the contents of a suicide note were published in error in an earlier version of this story. We have spoken to the writer and can assure readers that this will never happen again. We apologise for the distress caused. A 30 year old Thai woman has been found dead in…
- Phuket News
ICU beds for Covid-19 patients in Phuket are close to a “critical” low
Covid-19 patients in severe condition may have to been transferred from a government hospital in Phuket to a private hospital as the number of available hospital beds at public intensive care units in Phuket is close to a “critical” low, according to Vachira Phuket Hospital Director Chalermpong Sukontapol. There are 9 ICU rooms at the Vachira Phuket Hospital. 5 are…
- Covid-19 News
BMA admits Covid virus spreading fast in Bangkok, speeds up testing and jabs
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration says it is speeding up mass Covid-19 testing and inoculations in communities hit strongly by the virus, after admitting the virus is spreading fast in Thailand’s capital. The city clerk says the administration, along with the Public Health Ministry and other agencies, are speeding up the collection of nasal swabs for Covid-19 tests, with a plan…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket visitor Covid-19 rapid antigen testing may end May 15
In a live broadcast, Phuket’s Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong said officials will consider discontinuing Covid-19 rapid antigen testing for people arriving into Phuket after May 15. The interview from the Phuket Check Point at Tha Chatchai yesterday seems to contradict a recent statement from the governor launching additional rapid testing from today. Entry to Phuket since April 22 has been…
- Pattaya News
Chon Buri sees slight increase in daily Covid infections- Friday, 89
Chon Buri province, which features Pattaya, is seeing a slight increase from yesterday in new, daily Covid-19 infections at 89 today. Yesterday saw 76 new infections. The new infections bring the total amount of infections in the province since the beginning of April to 3,130. 1,549 are listed as being released from medical care and fully recovered, with 115 being…
- Thailand News
Phuket to rollout rapid Covid-19 testing campaign for visitors
A rapid Covid-19 antigen testing campaign for visitors to Phuket is being rolled out to quickly detect cases in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. The island province is set to reopen to foreign tourists in July, that is if the virus is contained and if at least 70% of the population is vaccinated against the coronavirus.…
- Thailand News
Chiang Mai on track to reopen 2 districts to foreign tourists in October
Chiang Mai is still on track to reopen to foreign tourists under the sandbox model this October. The so-called sandbox model would allow foreign tourists, who are vaccinated against Covid-19, to travel to designated areas in Thailand without undergoing quarantine. In Chiang Mai, tourists will be able to travel in the area with tour guides on designated routes. Phuket is…
- Thailand News
Expats are included in Thailand’s vaccination plan, Phuket to start registration
Expats are included in Thailand’s vaccination plan, a spokesperson from the CCSA said today, clarifying recent reports that said Thais have priority in the first phase of inoculations. The spokesperson says comments were taken out of context and, in fact, foreigners have already been included in the first phase of vaccinations. We’d like to confirm that Thailand’s vaccination strategy is…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket struggles towards herd immunity, vaccine rollout slow in other provinces
So far, 22% of the population in Phuket is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 while the majority of provinces in Thailand have not vaccinated any of the residents, according to data compiled by researcher Peter Scully. Bangkok, the epicentre of recent infections with more than 15,000 confirmed cases since April 1, has only fully vaccinated 1% of the population. Around 10…
- Covid-19 News
Rising Phuket Covid-19 infections may cause ICU shortage
A shortage of ICU beds in Phuket may be coming soon according to an epidemiologist at the main government hospital, Vachira Hospital in Phuket Town. The Phuket governor held a live broadcast press conference where the doctor explained that, with the spread of the B.117 variant, which is more transmissible and often leads to pneumonia, she fears beds might fill…
- Covid-19 News
Koh Phi Phi national park closing for 13 days to control Covid-19
Thailand’s Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Koh Phi Phi national park is closing for 13 days from today because of the current Covid-19 situation Park chief, Prayoon Pongphan, told The Phuket News that the decision was made as Krabi province is seeing a rise in infections. “The number of infected cases in many areas, including Krabi, is increasing. From the disease investigation, it…
- Covid-19 News
6 of Thailand’s top tourist zones WILL start opening for quarantine-free travel in July – TAT
Full steam ahead. The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s insists that the sandbox re-opening plans for 6 of Thailand’s most economically sensitive tourist magnets will start on July 1… July 2021. Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Chiang Mai will, according to the TAT, be open to foreign tourists who have received 2 doses of Covid-19 vaccine (or 1…
- Phuket News
What will be the most expensive real estate on MONOPOLY: Phuket Edition?
Phromthep Cape… Phuket Old Town… Patong Beach… These are just a few of the landmarks in Phuket that have now been short-listed since it was announced that Phuket will be getting its own edition of MONOPOLY. The top squares of the the locally-themed game board will soon be handed over to Phuket’s most prominent places. With so much around Phuket…
- Covid-19 News
27 people die from Covid-related illness 1,763 new infections in Thailand
The CCSA has reported 27 deaths and 1,763 new Covid infections over the past 24 hours. Over the past 10 days the daily reports have hovered around the 1,500 – 2,000 mark with the death rate trending upwards. 1,009 patients remain in a serious condition. 311 patients are currently on ventilators with Covid-related symptoms. In other related news… • The Safari…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 31 people die, 2,041 new infections, provincial totals
Today the daily 24 hour infection report for Covid-19 has jumped to back over the 2,000 mark with 2,041 new cases reported by the Thai health ministry. 31 people have died from Covid-related illness as well, a new high. Yesterday the death toll for a single day was 21. The CCSA report that most of today’s reported deaths were from…
- Covid-19 News
Flying rules tightened after Covid-19 infections found on Phuket flights
Disease prevention measures are being tightened for air passengers after several cases of Covid-19 were found on flights from Bangkok to Phuket. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has issued new guidance for airlines and passengers, after passengers on 7 flights, operated by 3 different airlines, subsequently tested positive for the virus. Phuket’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has ordered…
- Hot News
Unidentified metal sphere underwater near Phuket is not a bomb
While the strange object 6 metres underwater off the Phuket island of Koh Aeo is as yet unidentified, officials have determined that it is definitely not a bomb. Much to local relief of the local fishermen who spotted the object and reported it Friday, Thai navy officials determined the object was harmless. The spherical metal object was found underwater about…
- Covid-19 News
URGENT: Call for testing, Covid-19 on 7 Phuket flights
Authorities are calling for immediate quarantine and Covid-19 testing for 157 passengers of 7 flights to and from Phuket in the last few weeks. Passengers on these 7 domestic flights, mostly between Phuket and Bangkok, are considered at risk after Covid-19 infections were found on each flight. Seating charts were released with seat numbers and rows where Covid-19 infections and…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok sets goal to vaccinate 70% of population by the end of the year
With Bangkok as the epicentre of the recent Covid-19 outbreak, infecting over 10,000 people in the capital since April 1, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration says they now aim to vaccinate 70% of Bangkok residents by the end of the year. Since Thailand started its national Covid-19 vaccination plan in late-February, just 1.4 million doses have been inoculated. Priority was initially…
- Crime News
Police in Phuket seize 100,000 methamphetamine pills, women arrested on drug charges
Police in Phuket arrested 2 women on drug charges and seized a package containing 100,000 methamphetamine pills, 200 grams of crystal methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. Police say they received a tip about women suspected of selling methamphetamine and pills known as “ya ba,” meaning “crazy drug” in Thai. Officers tracked down 38 year old Ladawan ‘Mod’ Chuengyang and 24 year old…
