by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:49 AM ET, Thu July 1, 2021
Thailand's resort island of Phuket is officially open to fully vaccinated travelers from a list of 67 pre-approved countries, including the United States, as of today, July 1, without any quarantine requirements.
The program is called the Phuket Sandbox, and it will hopefully become the program throughout all of Thailand as the country begins reopening. Prior to arrival, American travelers must have registered their intent to travel with the Thai government and receive a Certificate of Entry (COE). They must also carry negative test results for a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival.
As an added level of safety, the Thai government also requires individual travelers to purchase a health insurance plan that covers no less than USD$100,000 in emergency medical coverage, including COVID-19 health emergencies. Travelers must also carry their vaccination cards and have been vaccinated at least 14 days prior to their trip. They must also bring their hotel confirmation for a minimum stay of 14 nights to show upon entry, or their airline tickets to leave the country within 14 days.
Travelers to the island must stay in hotels and resorts that meet the Safety and Health Administration Plus (SHA+) standards. Stays are allowed up to 14 nights, and travelers must be tested three times within that maximum 14-night period. Visitors to the island must also download a contact tracing app for the duration of their stay.
Face masks and social distancing are still required in Phuket. Failure to comply with wearing a face mask in all public areas could result in a fine.
According to Our World In Data, Thailand has a very small vaccination rate. Only 4 percent of its population is fully vaccinated, while 5.9 percent have received at least one dose. The full number of those fully and partially vaccinated is around 6.91 million people. Positive COVID-19 cases have doubled in the last 38 days, rising from a total of 129,500 cases on May 23 to 259,501 cases on June 30.
The Thai government has created a website called Entry Thailand to easily book hotel stays and complete its entry requirements.
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