This coming week the prime minister is scheduled to visit Samui island in Surat Thani province and then chair a mobile cabinet meeting in Phuket on Tuesday (Nov 3). The Transport Minister went to Phuket International Airport this weekend on an inspection visit, to ensure its readiness before the cabinet members arrive.
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob disclosed today that the COVID-19 screening system at the airport is 100% ready to support tourists flying in from foreign countries. The collection of specimens from COVID-19 tests can process 578 passengers per day.
If the implementation of the screening system is proven effective with the first group of foreign visitors, the minister said the province may propose a further easing of the measures, and Phuket airport would become a model for other international airports in Thailand – Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Hat Yai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
Deputy Phuket governor Pichet Panapong, said today that relevant agencies in Phuket have discussed projects that the area needs to achieve a revitalization of the local economy. These planned projects will be proposed to the cabinet for financial support. The projects focus on promoting tourism and creating jobs, for example, a 570 million baht project for urgent hirings among COVID-19 impacted persons; an 18-million-baht project for seafood and sports events to promote the circulation of cash, and the 30 million baht “City of Gastronomy” project to help bring about economic recovery.
On Nov 2, the prime minister is scheduled to visit Samui International Airport in the morning and inspect the management plan for Alternative Local State Quarantine (ALSQ). The premier will visit Phuket International Airport in the afternoon, and have a meeting with local business operators in the evening.
The mobile cabinet meeting on Nov 3 also includes meetings of economic and social development committees in provinces along the Andaman coast, comprising Krabi, Trang, Phang Nga, Phuket, Ranong and Satun provinces.
