UPDATE: It was announced on Monday, Aug 16, that the border closure will be extended until the end of August. Phuket has also elevated its COVID-19 'wall' to the highest level and only allows certain individuals to enter, such as residents (with a house registration), those bringing in food supplies, and owners/workers of essential businesses on the island.
Local visitors looking for a weekend on the beach are not included on the list of exemptions.
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Phuket has announced a plan to seal off the entire island for two weeks between August 3-16 in order to contain the rising number of COVID-19 infection.
Governor Narong Wonsiv signed off a document issued on July 29 detailing an urgent order to escalate the restrictions regarding the domestic entry. During the said dates, no visitors from any provinces in Thailand are granted with access to Phuket via all means of transportation: land (Tha Chatchai Border Crossing Station), air (Phuket International Airport), nor sea (all ports).
However, exemptions are entitled to the following visitors, including medical frontliners, transporters of essential medical equipment, important authorities. It's noteworthy that these exempted visitors must receive COVID-19 vaccination, namely
- 2 doses of Sinovac,
- 2 doses of Sinopharm,
- 1 dose of Sinovac and the other of AstraZeneca, or
- 1 dose of either AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson
They also need to provide proof of a negative result of an RT-PCR or Antigen test issued within 72 hours before the departure.
Furthermore, the Phuket authorities also ordered the closure of major shopping malls—including Central Phuket Patong, Central Phuket Floresta, and Central Festival Phuket—from July 27 to August 2 as well as football pitches and badminton courts. Schools and educational institutions are also ordered shut down for two weeks between August 3-16 (except private schools wherein the number of students doesn't exceed five per class).
In the meantime, markets and walking streets are permitted to open with a strict social distancing measure applied at all times, while social gatherings can be hosted with not more than 100 participants.
Phuket Sandbox is, nevertheless, in effect for all international tourists aspiring to visit the town.