The clarification follows the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) confirming through its official Facebook page to Thais, in Thai language, that people arriving in Phuket by air must present proof of testing negative for COVID-19 with the test results issued no more than three days before the day the passenger boarded a flight for Phuket.
Administrators on the PR Phuket Facebook page did maintain that the requirements for domestic travellers arriving in Phuket by land had not changed. The test documents were still deemed valid for up to seven days.
For entering Phuket RT-PCR /or Rapid Antigen tests must be “by land 7 days by air 3 days” was the consistent response to Thais questioning why the notice announcing the requirements for domestic travellers had not changed.
Also of note, the latest provincial order maintains that the time limit for presenting COVID test results in order for domestic travellers to enter Phuket remained at seven days for those arriving by land or flight.
Further, the regulations issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) also remain unchanged in its latest order, “Airline passengers to Phuket without COVID-19 document to be rejected for boarding”.
“Phuket governor with the approval of the Communicable Diseases Committee of Phuket has issued a new announcement since May 28th, 2021. The new announcement emphasizes the screening measures for domestic passengers entering Phuket from June 1st. The new measures will complement the existing processes and ensure more streamlined entry into Phuket. The airline passenger must proceed as follows:
1. Must be vaccinated with 2 or full doses of COVID-19 vaccine or a dose of AstraZeneca vaccine, recovered from COVID-19 infection not more than 90 days, tested negative for COVID-19 by RT-PCR or Antigen Rapid Test not more than 7 days since the test date. Those who fail to present the evidence will be rejected for boarding by the airlines. However, children up to 5 years of age are exempted.
2. Download MorChana application on smartphone and set location sharing to always allow while in Phuket.
3. Register via www.gophuget.com to inform the entry information.
4. Self-monitor under COVID-19 prevention and control measures, as well as avoid access into a community or crowded area.
“In order to comply with the regulations, the passenger is encouraged to check with the airline for the latest announcement from the destination before the scheduled flight,” the CAAT order concludes.
Vice Governor Piyapong told The Phuket News, “For those who fly to Phuket by domestic flight, their results of a negative COVID test must be taken within seven days prior to arrival. Seven days is the same for those who come by car.
“I confirm the test must be taken within seven days prior to arrival at the port of entry by land and the airport, as it was written in the latest order,” he said.
“The three day, or 72 hours, limit is for the vaccinated tourists flying to Phuket from abroad under the Phuket Sandbox scheme,” he added.
Vice Governor Piyapong also discounted a PR Phuket report late last month that quoted Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panapong as saying that test results documentsfor foreigners will be deemed valid for up to only three days.
“Please forget or delete the information. There is no difference between Thais and foreigners. They are all on the same standard,” he said.