Phuket province is now ready to go ahead with the Phuket Sandbox reopening to limited quarantine-free tourism for fully vaccinated international visitors. The province’s vaccine rollout is gaining speed with some 62% of the local population now having received at least one dose.
Phuket province is now just steps away from vaccinating 70% of its population, a target set to enable a safe reopening of the island province to international visitors.
According to a set of data from the Department of Disease Control, published by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), 339,773 people in Phuket or around 62.05% of the local population have already received the first jabs of COVID-19 vaccine, with 165,031 people or 30.14% the population fully vaccinated with both doses. The province must fully vaccinate another 218,277 people to achieve the 70% of population threshold.
Phuket’s vice governor Pichet Panapong, said today the province’s vaccine rollout covers Phuket residents, the non-registered population, and foreign workers.
Accommodation sites where 70% of staff members have been vaccinated are able to apply for the Amazing Thailand Safety Health Administration Plus (SHA+) certification, in order to welcome foreign travelers from 1st July. There are now around 300 SHA+ hotels in Phuket, ready for the province’s reopening.
Mr Pichet has assured the government the province is well prepared for the Sandbox campaign, from accommodation to the healthcare system, with disease screening and lab testing capacity both well prepared.
