After intense lobbying from the huge Travel and Tourism industry in Thailand, the government approved the waiving of quarantine requirements for vaccinated visitors arriving on Phuket from July 1.
Phuket has been without any new COVID-19 cases for 89 days. Phuket authorities have approved plans to welcome visitors without quarantine on July 1 to stimulate the local economy and will have one million COVID-19 vaccine doses before that. There is an urgent need for foreign tourists here, to stimulate both the economy and tourism sector.
Earlier, a resident earned about 40,000 baht per month on average. In February this fell to about 8,000 baht. Without some change, this will fall to 1,964 baht in July, which is below the poverty line.
A survey revealed that foreigners are interested in visiting Phuket but without undergoing quarantines. A local official says those foreigners who visit without undergoing quarantine, will be tracked using the COVID-19 tracing mobile app.
The approval for Phuket means it will reopen three months earlier than the rest of the country, which is expected to reopen for those who are fully vaccinated only in October. Phuket residents will also be prioritised in the vaccine roll-out, with more than 930,000 doses expected to be administered before the reopening.
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