Phuket’s Covid situation will be resolved in 2 weeks, vows governor
Phuket authorities announced on Wednesday that the ongoing Covid situation should be resolved within two weeks and the Phuket Sandbox scheme will continue uninterrupted.
Provincial governor Narong Woonciew said Phuket has been recording up to 200 new Covid-19 infections daily over the past two weeks, and that tests are being regularly conducted among migrants, fishing communities and slums.
Of the daily cases, 85 per cent are in the “green” group, or asymptomatic as most have received both jabs of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The governor said he expects the situation to be resolved soon, especially since he has tasked local officials and village headmen to monitor communities, especially those with residents in the risk group. They have also been instructed to immediately inform the authorities when anybody tests positive.
The governor has also come up with a guideline for managing “green” patients by getting them to isolate at home. This will also keep hospital beds free for patients in the “yellow” or “red” groups.
Related News
Phuket tightens screening measures for tourists, evidence of hotel booking mandatory
Sandbox tourism programme helps generate THB3.8 billion revenue for Phuket
Phuket authorities urged to push for 3rd vaccine dose as Covid cases increase
He said more patients in the risk group are being vaccinated, adding that people who received two Sinovac jabs in April will get a booster dose this month.
Narong added that 29,077 foreigners had arrived under the Phuket Sandbox scheme from July 1 to September 6, and 88 of them had tested positive. The project has generated 1.6 billion baht in revenue and put 3.8 billion baht in circulation.
Meanwhile, 492,405 room nights have been booked since the project was launched, with 24 per cent or 125,434 nights in September.
Another 40,312 nights have been reserved from October to February next year.
Surveys show that 84 per cent of tourists were satisfied with the service of SHA-plus hotels, while 81 per cent were happy with the hospitality of locals.
Most of the tourists had come from the US, followed by the UK, Israel, Germany and France.
Apart from Phuket, tourists also showed interest in travelling to Bangkok, Surat Thani, Chiang Mai, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Krabi.
