Bangkok to make reopening decision TODAY. Bangkok officials will seek advice from the Phuket “sandbox” on Wednesday, in a bid to clear confusion over when the capital will reopen to foreign tourists. Bangkok Jack / The Nation

Bangkok to make reopening decision TODAY

September 22, 2021

A dog stands between covered vans for tourist transport parked along an alley outside a closed travel agency in Bangkok

Bangkok officials will seek advice from the Phuket "sandbox" on Wednesday, in a bid to clear confusion over when the capital will reopen to foreign tourists.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has not yet decided when to open the capital as a quarantine-free entry point to the country, Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration spokesperson Apisamai Srirangsan confirmed on Monday.

Bangkok was initially slated to reopen on October 1, but Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the deadline should be moved back to October 15 as only 37 per cent of residents had been vaccinated.

Last week, concern was raised that opening Bangkok could cause a spike in Covid-19 infections among unvaccinated people.

On Wednesday, BMA officials will hold an online meeting with the Phuket sandbox team to exchange experiences and draft tourism plans for the capital.

To open as a pilot tourism area under the sandbox scheme, a destination must have 70-80 per cent of its residents fully vaccinated.

It must also draft an emergency plan for outbreaks, approved by the Public Health Ministry or provincial disease control committee. – The Nation