Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the Phuket reopening; the "Sandbox" the impending "Sandbox" and yes this is confirmed. They are going ahead with this. We have other videos we are making contemporaneously with this one where we get into some of the ramifications of this; how this is likely to operate. But I think there is a question on many folks’ minds right now is: "what are some of the protocols associated with this? What is this going to look like?"

A really good article from the Bangkok Post print edition, this was Saturday June 5th, 2021, the article is titled: Phuket Set for July Reopening. Quoting directly: "The Government gave the green light to the plan to reopen Phuket to vaccinated foreign tourists starting on July 1 although visitors are required to remain on the resort island for 14 days before leaving the province." So I would say that is a big one to understand about this reopening. It is sort of Phuket-centric and it is an interesting concept. I have to say the ingenuity on this one was good. They came up with something where they said look we have to split the difference here. We want to get Tourism back but we still have concerns regarding the spread of this thing. So, we have got this island; we are going to vaccinate folks up. This is really good article again: Phuket Set for July Reopening. You can probably find that on bangkokpost.com. I am not going to get into all that but behind the scenes they are doing a max vaccination drive down there to get people, to get the local population up to a point where they can accept these foreign tourists and it sounds like they are well on their way. That is being done with a great deal of alacrity. 

This I thought was more to the point and more for the viewers on our channel. Again understand for now we are just getting an understanding what this is looking like. For those who want to make specific travel arrangements, it is probably a good idea to contact a legal professional, gain some insight and guidance as to the best way to deal with this. I am here to tell you that your originating country will have a lot to do with your interaction with this Phuket "Sandbox" plan. Going ahead and quoting directly: "Phuket will reopen to tourists who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for more than 14 days, (so you would have had to have the vaccination and fully vaccinated whatever that means with respect to your course of treatment more than 14 days so two weeks must have elapsed between that time) but no more than 1 year prior to their visit (which I don't know how that is going to be an issue for anyone presently as a year hasn't gone by since we have even had these vaccinations) and they must come from low to moderate risk countries as announced by the Public Health Ministry." So again that may move a little bit; that may be a little bit fluid depending on circumstances. So again, those who are looking at undertaking this, it is probably a good idea maybe to contact somebody who is dealing with this frequently and can give some insight regarding your specific country. Quoting further: "Foreign Tourists must have vaccination certificates from their countries and the vaccines they have received must be registered under Thai Law or approved by the World Health Organization." So again, that may that may differ depending on the country you are coming from. Quoting further: "Tourists must stay at hotels that have Safety and Health Administration Plus Hygiene Standard Certification, (so specifically that Certification is called Safety and Hygiene Administration Plus. So there is a certification there) he said adding they will still be required to use Contact Tracing Apps during their stay in the Kingdom." We have discussed those at length on this channel. I believe one of them is called Mor Chana; Thailand Plus is one of them. Actually Mor Chana was I believe the vaccination registration app. Thailand Plus is the main one although again this may fluctuate a little bit. Also understand this begins July 1. We have some time. We are making this in the first week of June so there is some time between actual implementation and discussing this. Quoting further: "They must also report regularly to Health Authorities, (I don't know what that means when it comes down to specific practicalities) and strictly abide by COVID DMHTTA rules.” That is: distancing, mask wearing, hand washing, temperature testing, COVID Testing and Mobile App Use. So the acronym for that is a very large mouthful. DMHTTA Rules. 

So this is kind of where we are at. Just to sum it back up, you are looking at a situation where it is folks they have got to have been fully vaccinated for a minimum of 14 days but less than a year from the time that they were fully vaccinated; they must come from low to moderate risk countries as they are listed by the Public Health Ministry. Again that may be a little bit fluid so you may want to gain some insight and guidance into what that means in your specific circumstances; must have Vaccination Certificates; as we have discussed in prior videos, Certificates of Entry it seems are being phased out in favour of Vaccination Certificates at least in the interim and for those who are actually vaccinated, and the vaccines have to be registered under Thai Law or approved by the WHO; people have to stay in hotels that are Safety and Health Administration Plus certified, hygiene standards; they have to use the Contact Tracing App and they have to deal with distancing, mask wearing, hand washing, temperature testing, COVID testing and mobile app use in order to undertake the Phuket "Sandbox" initiative. 

So definitely some good news. Hopefully some light at the end of the tunnel. This is not going to be exactly like coming to Thailand was at the end of 2019 or in the first quarter of 2020 but it is definitely a good move in the right direction and we certainly are all hoping that things progress in a positive manner. We will certainly keep you updated on this channel as the situation involves.