Pattaya prepares to reopen the resort city for foreign tourists. (Bangkok Post photo)
Pattaya is pivoting towards quarantine-free travel under sealed routes as it hopes to increase its appeal despite pricey Covid-19 testing.
Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, acting president of the Chon Buri Tourism Council, said potential markets for Pattaya consist of tourists from Russia, India and foreigners who have family, condos or factories in industrial estates in the province.
After a discussion with Russia-based tour operator Pegas Touristik, the council determined fees for three RT-PCR tests at 8,500 baht and Covid insurance spanning 3,000-5,000 baht represent a huge drawback for the country's reopening.
Mr Thanet said 12-day tourism packages for two people normally cost 30,000 baht. The additional Covid fees directly affect tour package prices.
Tourism operators proposed using antigen test kits, which are cheaper and provide a faster result, for the first two tests, then a RT-PCR test for the last check before tourists travel to other areas.
Operators also urged the government to reduce landing fees or jet fuel prices for chartered flights because this could help tour vendors set an affordable price to attract more tourists.
"We have to balance public health safety measures and tourism marketing to allow the reopening plans to gain more competitiveness," Mr Thanet said.
He said many requirements have made Thailand an expensive destination compared with competitors for the Russian market such as Venezuela, Turkey and Egypt.
The standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Pattaya were approved by the provincial communicable disease committee on Monday. They allow tourists to travel under sealed routes as soon as they receive a negative test result upon arrival.
However, travellers must stay at a single alternative quarantine or SHA Plus Extra hotel, which have partner hospitals, before moving to another SHA Plus hotel from day eight.
Pattaya's SOPs are scheduled for submission to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration next week.
Mr Thanet said operators anticipate restoring international receipts to 20-30% from the 9.4 million arrivals tallied in 2019, in their best-case scenario. The government must prioritise vaccination in districts scheduled to reopen next month as the current vaccination rate is only 36-37% of residents in Bang Lamung and Sattahip districts, he said.
BENEFITING from relaxation of Covid restrictions is Bang Saen beach which has now reopened for tourists to come and relax and enjoy themselves but only till 8 p.m. and alcohol is strictly forbidden, Amarin TV said this afternoon (Sept. 1).
Vendors again brought out their beach chairs to rent out to tourists while restaurants began reopening as usual.
Many of them thanked Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin for pushing for self-employed people to receive compensation under section 40 of the Social Security Act which helped them receive a sum 5,000 baht for two months in a row, thus helping them out when the beach was closed.
Ms Maliwan Iamjang, 62, a tourist from Nonthaburi, said she left home at 4.30 a.m. and reached the beach at 7 a.m. so was among the first to rent a deck chair. A vendor asked her to help out so she ordered some food.
This beach remains very beautiful with Saensuk municipality maintaining the cleanliness even during the weeks there were no tourists, she said, adding that tourists must not forget to wear a face mask.
Meanwhile Chonburi province's other top hit tourist destination, Koh Lan, is still screening tourists with Thais having to show their ID card to officials in Pattaya and Koh Lan and foreigners their passports but migrant workers are not allowed in. However vaccination status is not checked.
Boats are limited to 75 percent capacity and all types allowed to operate maximum three rounds a day between Na Baan and Bali Hai piers
This morning the Public Health Ministry revealed that there were 14,802 more coronavirus cases and 252 deaths over the past 24 hours with 14,585 being among the general public and 217 in prisons and detention centres.
The cumulative confirmed cases since April 1 has reached 1,190,668 and from the start of the pandemic 1,219,531.
Today's 252 fatalities raised the death toll to 11,841.
An additional 18,996 patients were cured taking total recoveries since April to 1,013,342 while 166,922 are still undergoing treatment.
CAPTION:
The beautiful Bang Saen beach. Top photo: Amarin TV, Home Page photo: Tourism Authority of Thailand
Thailand plans to open Hua Hin from October 1 under the "Hua Hin Recharge" scheme which allows foreigners to visit without having to quarantine.
Krod Rojanasatien, president of the Thai Spa Association who will lead the "Hua Hin Recharge" scheme, said he and his team will meet Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn on Sunday.
The key topics to be discussed at the meeting will be the administration of vaccines in Hua Hin and its sub-district Nong Kae, which covers 86.36 square kilometres. The aim will be to provide jabs to 90,564 people or 70 per cent of the population in the area to create herd immunity. So far, 75,740 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the area.
The meeting will also discuss the standard operating procedure for tourists under the scheme. The current plan is for them to undergo an RT-PCR test upon arrival and check into a SHA-plus hotel while waiting for the test result.
If the result is negative, they can move freely within Hua Hin.
They will undergo another two tests – one on the seventh day of arrival, after which they can move out of the SHA-plus hotel. And then again on their 13th day in Thailand. If they test negative in the last test, they can then travel to other areas in Thailand.
Tourism agencies are preparing special activities and tour packages to keep travellers busy, Krod said. The main target is Europeans because they usually visit Thailand during the high season to escape freezing temperatures back home.
Krod said Hua Hin can expect as many as 100,000 tourists on the day of opening and should be able to generate up to 1.2 billion baht in revenue from the programme.
Healthcare workers give Covid-19 tests at a trawler pier in Phuket. (Photo: Achadtaya Chuenniran)
PHUKET: The surge in new coronavirus infections on this resort island is at a crisis level the provincial governor admitted on Wednesday, as tourism operators called for urgent action to rein in the spread of the disease.
"That the number of infections is more than 200 a day is a crisis situation," Phuket governor Narong Woonciew said on Wednesday. "We need to manage the situation better in the province."
The island province on Wednesday reported 258 new cases, one of them a tourist under the sandbox programme. Details of the new infections have not yet been by the provincial public health office.
It was the highest rate of daily infections in the last week. Three of the last four days have seen the number rising above 200.
The surge came despite 70% of its population having been inoculated against Covid-19 before the island reopened for fully vaccinated tourists on July 1.
Provincial public health chief Kusak Kusiatkul ruled out mass testing to separate infected people from those with negative test results, in a bid to contain the spread.
Efforts would be focused on testing the groups most vulnerable to infection - senior citizens, people with chronic illnesses and pregnant women, he said.
Provincial Immigration chief Pol Col Thanes Sukchai said foreign workers could be among the groups contributing to the rise of new cases. Many of them still ignored social distancing and other measures to curb the pandemic.
Immigration police would patrol all work camps more often and take action against workers violating lockdown measures, he said.
Phukettourism operatorshave called on authorities to quickly bring an end to the recent surge in. They warn it could scare away tourists thinking of visiting the island.
Chonburi reports 879 new Covid-19 cases with 2 deaths
Chonburi, Thailand –
Highlights:
879 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Chonburi today
1,231 people recovered and were released from medical care
2 new deaths
The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 879 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today with 2 new deaths, September 1st.
This makes a total of 63,306 cases of Covid-19 in the current round of infections, with 15,557 people still under medical care/supervision, and with a total of 390 recorded deaths in Chonburi since the start of this recent round of infections in early April. The details on yesterday's 2 new deaths were not given, which is standard for the health department.
Additionally, 1,231 people were also released and recovered yesterday in Chonburi. 47,359 people in total have now been released from medical care and recovered in Chonburi since this current wave of Covid-19 began.
The district-level new cases were as follows today:
Mueang Chonburi 183, Si Racha 269, Banglamung (Pattaya) 136, Panat Nikhom 31, Sattahip 25, Ban Bueang 101, Pan Thong 54, Bor Thong 8, Ko Chan 8, Nong Yai 6, and 58 new cases transferred from other provinces for medical care.
The details on the cases are as follows:
Cluster, Acushnet Footjoy (Thailand) in Si Racha 8 cases
Cluster, King Pac Industrial Co;. Ltd in Mueang Chonburi, 6 cases
Cluster, Sony Technology (Thailand) Co., Ltd. in Mueang Chonburi, 5 cases
Cluster, Cobra International Co. Ltd. in Pan Thong, 4 cases
Cluster, CSSG Co., Ltd. (Subcontract) in Pan Thong, 4 cases
A risky occupation, meeting a lot of people, 19 cases
3 medical personal
Back from an at-risk province in Bangkok – 1 case, Chachoengsao, 1 case, Nakhon Pathom – 1 case, Rayong – 1 case and Samut Prakan – 1 case
44 cases from enterprises in Rayong province
Close contacts of confirmed patients – 250 in families, 120 in workplaces, 30 close people/friends and 3 joined an illegal party
Close contact of confirmed patients (under investigation), 110 cases
268 cases are under investigation in general as to the cause of the disease.
A total of 1,044 close contact searches were received today, and 313 proactive search reports are pending.
There are currently clusters of outbreaks in 61 establishments and five markets, 10 construction worker camps, and four communities.
BANGKOK (NNT) - The government's decision not to join the COVAX vaccine sharing facility remains under scrutiny in the latest censure debate. The National Vaccine Institute chief today defended the situation once again, saying that Thailand is better off ordering vaccines directly from manufacturers rather than via COVAX.
The National Vaccine Institute (NVI) Director Dr Nakorn Premsri, today explained in parliament that the government's decision not to join the COVAX facility for vaccine sharing, was because of the group's lesser supply and higher prices than dealing directly with manufacturers.
The topic was brought up today in the parliament's censure debate by opposition MPs Sompong Amornvivat and Prasert Chantararuangthong from Pheu Thai Party, who called the decision by the government a vaccine management failure.
Similar to previous explanations given on 10th June, the NVI director said the COVAX facility is mostly beneficial to low-income countries, which can get vaccines in this way at no cost to themselves, however that is not applicable to Thailand where the country must pay for the jabs, plus management fees.
Dr Nakorn said that most of the vaccines Thailand would have received through COVAX would be locally produced AstraZeneca at a price higher than that being asked by the drugmaker itself, thus joining the facility would not be beneficial.
He then pointed out that vaccine deliveries via COVAX have faced delays and supply constraints due to the earlier surge of cases in India, which is a major manufacturing country.
The NVI chief said the 139 countries that joined COVAX have so far received 224 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, which is not a very large quantity. He said Thailand has secured more vaccine supplies directly from manufacturers than it would have with COVAX, and with greater reliability.
Thailand's Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul rose to address the house at 8.57 pm last night in the ongoing no confidence debate against the Thai government.
In a step by step timeline self-appraisal on all that has happened since late last year he praised everything about himself and his ministry, defended the Sinovac vaccine and his relationship with the Chinese both in and outside Thailand and suggested he had not wasted public funds and certainly not taken anything for himself.
He said that Thais need not worry about vaccine thanks to him - there is plenty for everyone and "we can fight the Covid-19 fight together with confidence".
At the end of his speech he summed his own performance up with:
"Ever since I have been minister of public health there has been no corrupt practices - it's all been white. (We are) here to help the Thai people", reported Daily News last night.
The minister started speaking after Thai PM Prayuth Chan-ocha had denied the government or himself were involved in graft.
That's graft in the sense of corruption, not work, notes ASEAN NOW.
Anutin continued in the same vein on what was day one of a four day debate that is likely to embarrass the government but certainly not bring them down.
Anutin said that the Sinovac vaccine was a good one with a high standard and efficacy.
Though he admitted that its efficacy had dimished a little when the Delta variant came into Thailand. But this was not Sinovac's or his fault.
He described the open and transparent way that all vaccines had come into Thailand since deals were struck late last year.
He said he had worked tirelessly with the Chinese in Thailand and with the government in China in a spirit of good relationship and good cooperation.
Sinovac was needed and was the fastest option after clusters in Samut Sakhon and Bangkok and surrounding areas.
He didn't mention that several of these clusters involved ministers from the government at nightclubs, notes ASEAN NOW.
He pressed on about the cost of Sinovac saying that criticism that it was expensive was unfounded. He said only the first lot was $17 a dose.
He propduced a graphic showing that the price dropped and dropped until it was only $8.90.
He described everything he did as above board and honest and for the benefit of the poeple.
This has included the subsequent procurement of vaccines meaning that Thailand now has Sinovac, Astra Zeneca, Pfizer and Moderna (on order). He said that Johnson and Johnson availability was subject to ironing out regulatory problems with the manufacturer - it wasn't Thailand's fault.
Once again he praised Sinovac as having stemmed the tide of infection.
"We are not short of vaccine", he proclaimed. "We will have 140 million doses by the end of the year which divided by two is 70 million people. That's going to be enough to inoculate 90% of the population.
He defended the third shot booster policy and said that AIK kits had been bought at fair market prices.
He said that if Astra Zeneca can still be produced in Thailand there will be no shortages next year saying "there is enough for every arm - we can get through this crisis together".
In closing remarks he suggested that his own performance, just like his PM, had been based on transparency and fairness and justice.
Prepare for a spike, public health expert says, but don't panic
Thailand should expect to see a spike in Covid-19 cases as the country eases lockdown measures on Wednesday, a public health expert told Thai Enquirer. The important thing is that the public must "not panic," the expert added.
The country's hard-hit Covid-19 provinces, which has been under lockdown measures for over a month, will see a gradual easing starting on Wednesday including the reopening of malls and restaurants for dining-in.
Contrary to previous announcements, a government spokesman said that diners and staff do not have to be fully vaccinated to participate in the reopening.
"There's a bit of mix messaging but regardless of vaccination status, given how virulent the Delta variant is, there is going to be a spike in cases," said a professor of public health at Thammasat University.
"What we have to do is not panic when we see these cases because most of them will be mild or asymptomatic due to the vaccines, they will be able to quarantine at home," he said on condition of anonymity.
According to the professor, the Thai public must now make plans to live with Covid-19 in a post vaccination world.
"We cannot be like New Zealand and shut down over one or two cases, we will have to learn with it and acquire and create new vaccines that allows us to live with this disease. We are not quite there but we are close."
The professor said that the government has already begun the right messaging about living in a post-Covid world where vaccinations are regular and the disease is treated like the flu.
"What we cannot have is people or large sections of the population that hold out from getting vaccinations because of misinformation," he said. "Any vaccine will work to mitigate the disease right now, in a year we will have better ones that prevent most symptoms completely."
Visitors to Phuket are screened at a checkpoint on Monday. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)
A proposal has been drawn up to lure fully vaccinated Thai tourists to Phuket to help accelerate the recovery in local tourism, according to provincial authorities.
The proposal was made at a meeting of state agencies and tourism stakeholders, chaired by deputy governor Pichet Panapong, on Tuesday.
If approved by the provincial disease control committee, the proposal will be adopted in place of the existing public health regulations to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Pichet said the lockdown in Phuket is causing hardship to the local economy.
He pointed to a discrepancy in regulatory enforcement. Phuket is under lockdown despite 75% of its population having been administered with two vaccine doses.
In practice, the province should now have gained herd immunity while foreign visitors in Phuket as part of the tourism sandbox programme are also fully vaccinated.
However, the deputy governor said the province remains under lockdown. Some other provinces which have reported far more new infections than Phuket have not imposed entry restrictions for their visitors, Mr Pichet said.
Sandbox travellers were also subject to at least three swabs during their stay in Phuket. At the same time, the swab requirement does not apply to fully vaccinated Thai nationals in the province.
He added that Phuket could not afford to wait for the majority of its population to be given a third booster jab before its reopens its economy.
"The third jab might be made available to 70-80% of the people here by the end of this month [September]. But that would be too late. A lot more people will suffer hardship [from the economic woes]," he said.
Mr Pichet said if Thai tourists who have received two doses of the vaccine could visit Phuket, provided they have taken a swab test before arriving, it would boost Phuket's tourism.
They should be permitted to travel to the island province by land, sea and air.
Tuesday's meeting was told many local infections were detected using antigen test kits (ATKs). The deputy governor noted a total of 24,000 people in Phuket underwent ATK mass testing, three times the average of provinces with similar populations.
The meeting also attributed the surge in the caseload to the mass testing which was able to deliver fast results for many people.
Mr Pichet said Thai tourists would help revitalise small businesses, a segment that has not benefited much from the Phuket sandbox programme.
Although the Centre for the Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has lifted restrictions for airlines flying from provinces hardest hit by Covid-19, or "dark-red zone", there will be few people taking flights to Phuket if the province was still under lockdown, he said.
It has been proposed that people from all at-risk provinces must be fully vaccinated and have undertaken a swab test within 48 hours prior to entry to Phuket. The proposal will be raised for discussion with the provincial communicable disease committee.
Updates on domestic travel in Thailand in September 2021
The following is a press release from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Their statements, thoughts, and opinions are their own.
Bangkok, 31 August 2021 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to provide an update on domestic travel in Thailand by air, bus, train, and boat following the Royal Thai Government's latest announcement to allow interprovincial travel between the 29 dark-red zone provinces and other areas to resume from 1 September 2021.
Air Travel
Thai Airways International
Thai Airways International (THAI) will operate twice weekly one-way flights from Bangkok to Phuket.
Flight TG922 every Thursday from 2 September – 28 October, 2021.
Flight TG916 every Friday from 3 September – 29 October 2021.
Bangkok Airways
Bangkok Airways has rescheduled its flight resumption plan to 1 September 2021.
Already starting from 25 August 2021, the airline resumed its direct return flights between Samui and Phuket in support of the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus programs. It offers 3 flights per week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Flights between Samui and Singapore, and flights operated under the Samui Plus program, still operate as normal.
Please note the temporary suspension of in-flight meal services and temporary closure of the airline's passenger lounges is extended until further notice.
Nok Air will be back in service at Don Mueang International Airport from 1 September 2021, to Buri Ram, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chumphon, Hat Yai, Lampang, Loei, Mae Sot, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan, Phitsanulok, Phuket, Ranong, Sakon Nakhon, Surat Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, and Udon Thani.
There are guaranteed flights for passengers who reserve seats in/from Don Mueang International Airport during 27 August-7 September 2021, and travel dates from 1-7 September 2021.
More information at www.nokair.com, via the Nok Air Sales Counter, or Call Centre Tel. 1318.
Thai AirAsia
Thai AirAsia will be back in service at Don Mueang International Airport from 3 September 2021, to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathiwat, Phuket, Roi Et, Ubon Ratchathani, and Udon Thani.
Thai VietJet Air will be back in service at Don Mueang International Airport from 1 September 2021.
Meanwhile, the airline has scheduled to commence its direct Bangkok-Taipei flights on 20 October 2021, (with sealed domestic Phuket Sandbox flight connections available).
In addition, it will begin its Bangkok-Singapore and Phuket-Singapore services on 21 October 2021.
Bus passengers are asked to comply with public health measures; such as social distancing, wearing cloth masks or hygienic masks at all times, washing hands frequently, and registering through the Thai Chana application.
For more information on bus travel, contact bus ticket offices at bus terminals across the country, the Call Centre 1490, or bus terminals 24 hours a day.
Train Travel
The State Railway of Thailand is continuing with selected Northern, Northeastern, Southern, and Eastern routes. Information is available on the hotline 1690.
Boat Travel
Boonsiri High-Speed Catamaran
Boonsiri High-Speed Catamaran continues to operate a daily service between Ko Kut and Laem Sok Pier. Departure from Ko Kut is at 10.00 Hrs. and return departure at 14.20 Hrs.
The company is also offering a special charter private catamaran between Laem Sok and Ko Kut. This is suitable for groups and large families, and for the care of the elderly and pregnant women. The hirer can choose the travel times. More information is available at (+66) 061 689 9222.
Raja Ferry Port
The company continues to operate the following routes as normal:
Don Sak-Samui and Samui-Don Sak from 05.00-18.00 Hrs. everyday.
Samui-Pha-ngan: Last departure is at 19.00 hrs.
For the Don Sak-Pha-Ngan and Pha-Ngan-Don Sak routes, passengers can transit at Samui.
More information is available at FB:rajaferryport or via Line :@rajaferryport
Saen Saep boat service
Between 10.00-15.00 Hrs. the Saen Saep boat service will run only one boat trip per hour from Wat Si Bun Rueang Pier. The service will stop completely every Saturday and Sunday. These changes are in place until further notice.
TAT would like to remind all travellers to continue with the D-M-H-T-T-A precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19: D – Distancing, M – Mask wearing, H – Handwashing, T – Temperature check, T – Testing for COVID-19, and A – alert application.
For regular updates on the tourism-related COVID-19 situation in Thailand, visit the TAT Newsroom via www.tatnews.org; Facebook (tatnews.org); and Twitter (Tatnews_Org).
For additional information and assistance relating to Thailand's tourism, contact the TAT Contact Centre 1672 or Tourist Police 1155.
Restaurants in Pattaya and Chonburi excited and ready to reopen to customers
Restaurants in Pattaya and Chonburi are preparing to reopen for dine-in customers tomorrow (September 1st) after the Thai government eased some disease control restrictions in the highest Covid-19 controlled provinces, which includes Chonburi.
Chonburi –
First, some related articles, the video version of this news, and background:
On August 28th the Royal Gazette officially announced the relaxation of Covid-19 preventive measures including the reopening of restaurant businesses for dining in the 29 dark-red zone provinces from September.
The Chonburi Governor and provincial disease committee released last night, August 30th, 2021, rules and restrictions around easing of Covid-19 rules for the province.
Restaurants in the Pattaya and Chonburi area are allowed to open for dine-in until 8:00 P.M., but with no alcohol, up to 50% dine-in capacity with air-con, up to 75% outside/no air con.
There was no mention of controversial vaccination requirements/Covid-19 testing as proposed in a trial by the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration earlier last week.
Many restaurants are ready to reopen tomorrow. They are cleaning their restaurant and preparing food delivery orders as well as stocking their supply closets and fridges. They are also making sure to provide alcohol gel and temperature checking in front of the restaurant. Visitors will also be required to "check-in" either manually or through the "Thai Chana" platform for possible contact tracing if needed.
BANGKOK (NNT) - Thailand's Public Health Ministry has provided a guide for travelers planning to visit Thailand under the pilot reopening schemes, like "Phuket Sandbox", "Samui Plus" and "Phuket Sandbox 7+7 Extension".
Under the program, eligible Thai returnees or foreigners must be 18 years old and above and should have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, which have been approved by Thailand or the World Health Organization, at least 14 days before arrival. COVID-19 vaccines approved in Thailand are CoronaVac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Janssen, Moderna, Sinopharm, and Sputnik V.
Travelers to Thailand should also have all made advance arrangements, which include a Certificate of Entry (COE) issued by a Thai embassy or consulate, a COVID-19 health insurance policy with a minimum coverage of US$100,000, confirmation of an "SHA Plus" hotel booking and a medical certificate with a negative RT-PCR test result issued no more than 72 hours before departure.
Under the 7+7 Extension scheme, tourists arriving under the "Phuket Sandbox" program can travel to specific destinations after spending their first seven days on Phuket. These destinations are Koh Samui, Koh Pha-Ngan and Koh Tao in Surat Thani, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Ngai and Railay Beach in Krabi, Khao Lak, Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai in Phang Nga.