TCEB Situation Update Travel Advisory: COVID-19 Virus on 22 May 2021 Phuket’s New COVID-19 Arrival Screenings

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TCEB Situation Update

Travel Advisory: COVID-19 Virus on 22 May 2021

Phuket’s New COVID-19 Arrival Screenings

 

As a result of cumulative cases, clusters of new infection, constant movement of people and violation of disease control measures, the governor of Phuket, as resolved by the province’ communicable disease committee, has announced and beefed up COVID-19 measures for arrival screening as follows: 

 

  1. 1. Refrain or avoid travel to Phuket through Chatchai Checkpoint and all piers and ports in Phuket. Persons and vehicles of all types are barred from entering the province, except the following cases:

          1.1. The person has received two doses of vaccine or undergone RT-PCR or Antigen Rapid Test within 72 hours before the entry.

          If not, the person must be quarantined for 14 days (Home Quarantine) and must be under the supervision of the local officers of the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) throughout     the quarantine period. (The quarantine rule is effective 18 May 2021 onward)

          1.2 The driver and the crew of the following vehicles:

                   1) Delivery of daily basic goods, fresh produce, livestock, animal feed

                   2) Delivery of medicine, medical equipment, pharmaceutical products, chemicals for medical purposes  

                   3) Ambulances, emergency patients, rescue vehicles

                   4) Delivery of gas, fuel, energy

                   5) Money carriers of banks, financial institutions

                   6) Officially authorised personnel for emergency case operation

                   7) Transport of the necessities for public services or emergency operation

                   8) Carriers of construction materials and equipment, printed matters, but are subject to fixed entry duration which will be considered by the chief of the checkpoints or authorised personnel.

                   9) Drivers and passengers of personal vehicles, whose qualifications as stated in 1.1 are met, must bear a written declaration of their necessity to enter Phuket or formal certification of goods. In case of staying at hotels or similar establishments or private residences, or travelling without overnight stay, they must comply with the measures number 2 stated below. 

 

  1. 2. Strengthened COVID-19 screening measures for entry into Phuket

          2.1 Passengers arriving at Phuket International Airport must have received two doses of vaccine or undergone RT-PCR or Antigen Rapid Test within 72 hours before travelling.

          2.2 Travelers must download "Mor Chana” application on smartphones and agree to share their location throughout their stay on the island.

          2.3 Travelers must register on www.gophuket.com to declare their arrival.

          2.4 Self-observe any symptoms, avoid visiting or joining any large gatherings

 

In case any hotels or similar establishments receive guests entering Phuket and staying overnight at their place, the owner or the person in charge must act as follows:

          1) Temperature and symptom screening

          2) Check the visitor’s Mor Chana application and their registration on www.gophuket.com

          3) Record the visitor’s movements with date, time, and location and report to the local Emergency Operation Center (EOC) for traceability. Remind the visitors to avoid visiting or     joining large gatherings.

 

For those staying at private residences, the owner or manager of the residences must record the visitor’s movements with date, time, and location and report to the local Emergency Operation Center (EOC) for traceability.

 

Owners and managers of hotels or similar establishments, supervisors of the private residences, owners or supervisors of any enterprises, who fail to record and report the visitors’ movements in the form attached to Phuket Province’s order number 2617/2564 dated 14 May 2021, can be held guilty according to Communicable Disease Act B.E. 2558, Article 49, which results in maximum one-month imprisonment or 10,000 baht fine, or both.

 

Those who make travel within a day or those who deliver goods without overnight stay must have received two doses of vaccine or undergone the RT-PCR or Antigen Rapid Test within 72 hours before arrival and must declare to the officers the necessity of their travel or produce the delivery bill issued by their official firms.

 

  1. 3. Visitors to Phuket must practice D-M-H-T-T-A to prevent COVID-19

          D – Distancing

          M – Mask Wearing

          H – Hand Washing

          T – Temperature

          T – Testing (RT-PCR or Antigen Rapid Test)

          A – Application “Thai Chana” and “Mor Chana”

 

Due to an emergency affair, any rights to dispute this announcement is not permitted, according to Article 30, paragraph 2 (1) of the Administrative Procedure Act, B.E. 2539.

 

Violators can be subject to a maximum fine of 20,000 baht fine according to Article 51 or a maximum one-year imprisonment or a maximum fine of 100,000 baht, or both according to Article 52 of Communicable Disease Act B.E. 2558, or they can be punishable by Article 18 of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations B.E. 2548 where a maximum two-year imprisonment or a maximum fine of 40,000 baht, or both, can be imposed.

 

Effective 16 May 2021 until further notice.

 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has announced regulations for carriers operating flights to Phuket as follows:

 

Passengers will be denied boarding at the origin if they cannot present the evidence of receiving two doses of vaccine or the negative COVID-19 testing result by the RT-PCR or Antigen Rapid Test within 72 hours before boarding.

 

Passengers travelling to Phuket must:

          1) Download the "Mor Chana” application on smartphones and agree to share their        location throughout the stay.

          2) Register on www.gophuket.com

Effective 19 May 2021 until further notice.

 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand requests all passengers to check and comply with the announcement on COVID-19 measures of the destination provinces before travelling and strictly follow the measures announced by the Ministry of Public Health.

 

References

https://www.phuket.go.th/webpk/file_data/covid-19/province/2645-2564-05-17.pdf (TH Version)

https://www.phuket.go.th/webpk/file_data/covid-19/province/2617-2564-05-15.pdf (TH Version)

https://www.caat.or.th/th/archives/57973 (TH Version)

https://www.facebook.com/thailandprd/posts/4274922769197771

https://www.facebook.com/thailandprd/posts/4280541295302585

 

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Further information about COVID-19 outbreak from WHO

https://www.who.int/thailand/emergencies/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports

Department of Disease Control Contact Centre (Call 1422 24/7)

https://ddc.moph.go.th/viralpneumonia/index.php

Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) (Call +66 (0) 2694 6000)

https://www.businesseventsthailand.com/en/situation-update-coronavirus-covid-19 or info@tceb.or.th

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