Some COVID tourists exempt from quarantine
SANDBOX TOURISTS WHO TEST positive for COVID-19 on landing because they still have high levels of the virus in their system after recovering from being infected do not need to observe the mandatory 10-day isolation in Phuket if they are asymptomatic.
The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) announced the measure in a notice marked as the “‘Past Infection’ Guideline for Sandbox Travelers”.
The notice, which was provided to The Phuket News, is marked “Updated on 3 February 2022”.
However, Phuket officials have yet to publicly announce the measure through the usual government channels.
“Sandbox Travelers who test positive for COVID-19 in Phuket but were infected before arriving into Thailand can be considered for ‘no quarantine’ or ‘isolation’,” the notice explains, in English.
In order to be eligible for exemption of the quarantine or isolation measures, travellers must satisfy three criteria:
1. They must be asymptomatic.
2. Their CT level from the RT-PCR test in Phuket must be more than 30 in both genes.
3. They must provide a medical certificate to prove their COVID-19 infection within the last three months.
All three criteria must be met in full for travellers to qualify for the exemption, the notice said clearly.
“If the above criteria are not met, you must be quarantined or isolated for 10 days from the first day of your RT-PCR positive test,” the notice confirmed.
The notice explained that to apply for the quarantine exemption travellers must submit the medical certificate of their past infection to the hotel where they are booked to stay after arriving.
“Submit a lab result in Phuket that shows your ‘CT’ more than 30. The SHA Plus Manager of your hotel must keep records of your documents for future reference with the Phuket Provincial Health Office.
“If you are able to present the above documents, you will be released,” the PPHO assured.
Of note, while the notice is clearly marked to apply to Sandbox tourists, it has yet to be confirmed that the exemption also applies to Test & Go tourists.