Surat Thani ready to open three islands to tourists by July 15

“To ensure safety, every tourist must be fully vaccinated and test negative 72 hours before entry,” said Surat Thani governor Wichawut Jinto. He added that relevant public and private agencies were ready to welcome tourists.

Meanwhile, Veerasak Lorthongkham, director of Koh Samui Hospital, said nearly 89,000 residents of the three islands, or 71.4 per cent, have received their jabs. The number of recipients per island is as follows:

• Koh Samui: 77,000 or 72.89 per cent

• Koh Pha-ngan: 7,800 or 55 per cent

• Koh Tao: 3,600 or 89 per cent

All jab recipients were above 18.

Like the Phuket Sandbox scheme, eligible tourists heading to these three islands will not be required to go into mandatory quarantine, Koh Samui Tourism Promotion Association chairman Ratchaporn Poonsawat said.

He added that this was the best time to visit the islands.

Under the Samui Plus Model, tourists will first be required to spend three days in quarantine in Koh Samui before they move around the island in a sealed route for the first seven days.

After their first week in Koh Samui, tourists can then travel freely to Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao.

All tourists must undergo three RT-PCR tests for Covid-19 – upon arrival, at the end of the first week and at the end of the second week.