However, such foreigners must present evidence that they have cleared quarantine in Bangkok and must travel directly to Phuket after being released, Dr Thanit Sermkaew, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO), told The Phuket News today (Jan 12).
“All foreigners who have already completed a 14-day quarantine in Alternative State Quarantine [ASQ] hotels from ‘red zone’ areas [highest risk provinces] and wanting to travel to Phuket are not required to complete a 14-day quarantine again after arriving in Phuket,” Dr Thanit said.
“But they must present a certificate or document to guarantee that they have been successfully cleared quarantine,” he added.
“The document must mention the final date of the 14-day quarantine, the hotel name and its location. Also the document must be signed by the government official who is assigned to oversee the quarantine at the ASQ hotel,” Dr Thanit noted.
“The foreigners must travel directly to Phuket after they check out of the hotel. They must not check in or stay overnight at any other places. If they stay overnight someplace else, they may have to do a 14-day quarantine when they arrive in Phuket,” he explained.
“They can travel like normal people when they travel directly to Phuket. They just have to show the document to the airline staff and officials at the airport, and to any health officers from the Emergency Operations Centre [EOC] who will be following up on their arrival,” Dr Thanit said.
Dr Thanit reminded all people wanting to travel to Phuket must first register their travel details through the gophuget.com web portal, operated by the Phuket Provincial Police.
“Please remember that all people who enter the Phuket area by land, sea and air can enter as normal but will be subjected to intensive screening, and [we] ask for everyone’s cooperation to install the Mor Chana application,” he added.
The news today that foreigners exiting quarantine in Bangkok are exempt from another mandatory 14-day quarantine in Phuket follows Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew on Saturday (Jan 9) issuing an order for all arrivals in Phuket to observe heightened COVID-19 measures classified according to the risk of the areas the people are arriving from.
The order applies to all domestic travellers.
People arriving from the “highest risk” areas are required to observe a 14-day quarantine and undergo swab tests for the virus after arriving in Phuket.
“If everyone keeps following the protection measures, the 14-day quarantine in Phuket is expected to be relaxed at the end of January,” Dr Thanit said.
“Remember, the quarantine rules in Phuket are active until Jan 31,” he said.
Pascale | 12 January 2021 - 17:31:45