Rules for those who want to go to Thailand, 9 days until Phuket and Samui reopen
We are nine days, and a few hours, away from the fateful date of July 1, when Thailand after more than 18 months will return [...]
HKT
We are nine days, and a few hours, away from the fateful date of July 1, when Thailand after more than 18 months will return to welcome tourists with open arms. Yes, because non-essential travel to the Asian country is allowed being the Thailand always been on the European green list.
In this article:
Certainly the protocol known as Phuket Sandbox has not yet been defined in detail, or rather is susceptible to even sudden adjustments/changes, so in this article we will try to publish the most up-to-date information possible.
To understand the situation, one only has to read the response sent to us by the Italian Embassy of Thailand, "at the moment there are no final rules yet."
Important to understand that while Phuket provides total freedom of movement on the island for those who are allowed to enter, the situation on Samui will be different and much stricter. The government's goal is to identify an unambiguous protocol that will then be applied to all other tourist areas in the country until an almost complete reopening of the entire nation in October.
Before leaving
- Apply for the COE (certificate of entry) on entrythailand.go.th
- Come from a country at low to medium risk for Covid-19 and have been in that country for at least 3 weeks. It is possible to consult the classification on this site (The page is in Thai, but the update links are posted in chronological order.)
Italy is currently in the low end of medium-risk countries, and it is likely to rise to the low end with the next update.
- One must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 for at least 2 weeks before the date of travel. Those who have had Covid must also be vaccinated
- A vaccination certificate must be shown to confirm vaccination
- The vaccine must be a brand approved by the Ministry of Public Health or the World Health Organization
- Children under the age of 6 may travel with a guardian or a fully vaccinated parent
- You must have a negative Covid-19 test performed within 72 hours of travel
- Specific health insurance required for coverage in case of Covid-19 with a minimum coverage of US $ 100,000
Image by Michelle Raponi from Pixabay
Upon arrival in Thailand
- Upon arrival, standard immigration and customs procedures will apply, so for Italian nationals the VOA, or visa on arrival, is reinstated
- RT-PCR tests for Covid-19 screening will be conducted.
- Obligation to install the app to enable contact tracing throughout your stay and in case you do not have a smartphone a wristband will be given to ensure tracking
- Transfer to hotel, booked in advance, while waiting for test results
At this point the two paths diversify
Phuket
- The facility booked must be a SHA Plus certified accommodation.
- Upon receiving a negative test result, you are allowed to move freely on the island
Samui
- It must be an accommodation recognized for quarantine by the Ministry of Health
- Once the test is negative, travelers can leave the room but must remain inside the facility for quarantine
Thailand vacation and travel
All tourists are required to follow the guidelines of the Ministry of Health: social distancing, mask use, hand washing, temperature control, testing for Covid-19 and use of the app.
Phuket
- You will be able to stay as long as you want on the island, in case of a vacation of less than 14 days you will only be able to leave by a direct flight always from Phuket airport
- You will have to stay in a SHA Plus certified facility and can change after the first 14 days
- Starting from the 15th day, you will be able to leave Phuket province and travel to other parts of Thailand without any limitation other than the duration of your visa
Samui
- Days 1-3: you can only move within the facility where you are housed
- Days 4-7: You can get out by taking advantage of the tourist bubble in specific areas on Koh Samui
- Days 8-14: we can move freely to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao
Moving to other parts of Thailand
- Proof must be provided that the minimum stay of 14 days has been completed
- You must follow the guidelines and restrictions stated by the destination province
How to fly to Thailand
Major airlines have published their flights To Phuket: we talked about Thai Airways' special ones. (which, however, do not take off from Italy), there are then interesting proposals from Qatar Airways, which offers round-trip tickets for less than €600.
In addition to Qatar, Emirates and Etihad have also activated flights to the Southeast Asian island almost daily and all at attractive fares. As well as the possibility of taking advantage of the Carriers that also offer, included in the airfare, coverage for Covid which is one of the requirements for being allowed to enter the country.
