PHUKET: Almost 400 people attempting to enter Phuket by road yesterday (July 20) were refused entry for failing to satisfy the revised entry requirements that were announced on Sunday.
The new provincial order was issued by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew on Sunday and came into effect yesterday. It extends to anyone wishing to come to Phuket from all 76 provinces on the mainland.
“Yesterday, 392 arrivals were refused entry to the island,” Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pornsak Nuannoo revealed during a live press conference broadcast this morning (July 21).
“As such, we encourage people to advise any relatives or co-workers wishing to visit Phuket to prepare all the relevant documents required under the new provincial order in order to avoid any confusion or disappointment.
“I would like to remind Phuket people and all arrivals that we will decisively prosecute all arrivals who present any false proof documentation to officers,” Commander Pornsak warned.
Last night was the first night that the checkpoint was closed between the hours of 11pm to 4am, as stipulated in the revised provincial order.
“We discovered several vehicles parked near the checkpoint waiting to enter the island early this morning,” Commander Pornsak explained.
“Thankfully, we exerienced no issues and the traffic flow at the checkpoint ran smoothly this morning,” he added.
Under the new order, all arrivals must be fully vaccinated or arrive within 90 days of being discharged from medical care after recovering from COVID-19.
In terms of arrivals being deemed fully vaccinated, arrivals must have received two injections of the Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccines, or at least one injection of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines, at least 14 days prior to arrival in the province.
Regardless, all arrivals must present results from an RT-PCR test or a rapid antigen test issued in the past seven days confirming that the arrival is not infected.
The order specifically states that people living or working in Phuket who wish to leave the island then regain entry must present proof of vaccination OR a negative test result before they will be permitted to do so.
They also need to present the relevant form that has been signed by a recognised official at a local government office, such as a districy office. The form can be accessed here.
Almost 400 denied Phuket land entry under new rules