Sirinath National Park, on Phuket’s west coast, is allowed to fully reopen on Wednesday following an order issued by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) last week, Chief Natthawat explained.
Under the order, 64 national parks, including Phang Nga Bay National Park, are allowed to fully reopen come Wednesday.
A further 63 national parks, including Lanta Island National Park and Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, will be allowed to partly reopen.
However, 28 national parks, including Mu Ko Surin National Park, Mu Ko Similan National Park, and Tarutao National Marine Park are to remain closed.
In order to enter Sirinath National Park, visitors must register their ‘queue” through the “QueQ” (on App Store here and Google Play here), Chief Natthawat said, following a visit to the park by Phuket Vice Governor Wongsakorn Nunchukan and other officers yesterday (June 28) to inspect the park’s readiness to reopen.
The QueQ app on its home screen has a special section named especially for national parks. However, even in the English version of the app, the section remains the only section still listed in Thai (as "อุทยานแห่งชาติ 155 แห่ง")
To enter the park, visitors will have to show officers their approved “queue” code from the app, Chief Natthawat told The Phuket News.
All visitors will also have to register their entry and exit from the park through the ThaiChana web platform, he added.
Officers will check every visitor for elevated body temperature before permitting entry to the park, Chief Nattahwat noted.
People living in the area, many of whom enter park areas frequently for short periods, may enter their park by registering only through the Thai Chana platform, Mr Natthawaut pointed out.
“However, they may be refused entry simply because the limit may have already been reached. So, to make sure they will be allowed to enter the park, we strongly suggest that local residents book their entry through the QueQ app,” he said.