All domestic arrivals entering Phuket by road or boat, except children under 5 years old, must be fully vaccinated or tested negative for COVID-19 within seven days of arriving on the island in order to be permitted to enter Phuket without serving any mandatory quarantine, a new order issued by the Phuket Governor has confirmed.
The new provincial order (No 2920/2564), signed and dated by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew on Friday, May 28, is to come into effect on Tuesday (June 1) and is to remain in effect until another order is issued.
The order was posted publicly on May 29.
Under the wording of the order, all arrivals by road or boat, except children under 5, must have had two injections of “the COVID vaccine”. However, the order also notes that people who have had one injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be permitted to enter.
People who have not received any vaccination injections may be permitted to enter if they can prove that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within seven days of arriving. Test results from RT-PCR tests or rapid antigen tests will be accepted.
People who have already been discharged from medical care for being infected with COVID-19 may be permitted to enter Phuket if they have not exhibited any signs of infection for 90 days before arriving, the order noted.
Those who cannot prove that they have been vaccinated for COVID-19 and cannot prove they have tested negative for the virus may enter Phuket on the condition that they observe a 14-day quarantine either at home or at a designated hotel under the supervision of communicable disease control officers and the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) staff for the area where the arrival will be staying.
Those who must observe a 14-day quarantine at home are to self-monitor for any signs of infection
Any persons arriving in Phuket and not staying the night are exempt from the quarantine requirement, as are all goods transport drivers, medical workers, officials and anyone else permitted to pass through the checkpoint onto the island during the hours 11pm to 5am.
Transport drivers must also show the goods they are delivering to staff at the checkpoint and present a letter confirming that they have actual business to conduct on the island.
All people wanting to enter Phuket must register their travel details through the website www.gophuget.com and all arrivals who enter the province must install the MorChana app on their phone and enable location sharing for the entire duration of their stay in Phuket and abide by all regulations regarding COVID-19 prevention while they are on the island.
Operators of hotels where new arrivals to Phuket are staying must screen all guests on arrival, ensure guests have MorChana installed with location sharing enabled and ensure that guests’ travel entails have been submitted via gohuget.com.
Guest accommodation providers must also submit a track record of each guest’s movements, including time and place of business visits, to the EOC, local administration organisation (OrBorTor) or municipality for their area.
Where new arrivals to Phuket are staying at private homes, the host or supervisor of the house, or owner or operator of the establishment, must submit a report declaring all travellers arriving to stay at the location to the EOC, local administration organisation (OrBorTor) or municipality for their area.
Operators of hotels or “any other accommodation that looks like a hotel” were warned that not providing such reports may be deemed an offense under Section 49 of the Communicable Diseases Act 2015, which may be punished by up to one month in jail or a fine of up to B10,000, or both.
All people entering Phuket were asked to observe DMHTTA COVID-prevention measures:
D – Distancing = Spacing between each other
M – Mask Wearing = Always wear a cloth mask / face mask.
H – Hand Washing = Hand washing often
T – Temperature = Measure temperature
T – Testing = RT-PCR or Antigen Rapid Test
A – Application = Install and scan the application Thai Chana and Mor Chana
The order also warned that if any person who violates or fails to obey the order, it may be an offense under Section 51 of the Communicable Diseases Act, which may be punished by a fine of up to B20,000, or an offense under Section 52 of the act, which may be punished by up to one year in jail or a fine of up to B100,000, or both
Offenses may also be deemed a breach of Section 9 of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations B.E. 2548, which are punishable under Section 18 of the same act, which allows for punishments of up to two years in jail or a fine of up B40,000, or both, the order warned.
Source: Phuket News