Mr Saksayam’s announcement during an inspection of the screening facilities at the X-terminal building at Phuket airport ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha later today (Nov 2).
Present to welcome Mr Saksayam were Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew, Phuket International Airport General Manager Thanee Chuangchoo, and a host of other officials.
“At this stage, Phuket International Airport is 100% ready for welcoming and testing tourists arriving on the STV [special Tourist Visa]. The lab and mobile lab trucks together can test 578 tourists per day,” Mr Saksayam said.
“I have asked Phuket Governor and local officers to think about whether to ask the Prime Minister at the mobile Cabinet meeting for more testing equipment for when more [than 578] tourists come [a day],” Mr Saksayam told the press.
“However, at this stage, permission for STV tourists to flight directly to Phuket has not been confirmed yet,” Mr Saksayam added.
“We have to wait for the Prime Minister to inspect [the airport] first to ensure its readiness and to build confidence among people,” he said.
Mr Saksayam also noted, “I was told that Phuket now has about 1,900 rooms in hotels to welcome tourists as alternative local quarantine venues, the and Phuket Government is trying to reach 5,000 rooms within one month.”
Of note, in August 82 hotels in Phuket had applied and were waiting to be approved as ALSQ venues. Today, only 17 hotels have been approved.