Infections Are Not What Counts

Launched on July 1, 2021, the Sandbox enables fully-vaccinated international visitors to fly directly to the destination and stay on the island quarantine-free. Hotels need to ensure at least 70% of their staff have received vaccines – the same inoculation rate as Phuket’s population, creating herd immunity against COVID-19. While the high level of protection doesn’t prevent people from catching COVID-19, it does significantly reduce the likelihood of serious infection and hospitalization.

ಥೈಲ್ಯಾಂಡ್ 2 ಎ | eTurboNews | eTN — *Laguna Phuket Managing Director, Ravi Chandran*

ಥೈಲ್ಯಾಂಡ್ 2 ಬಿ | eTurboNews | eTN — *British Honorary Consul, Martin Carpenter*

“Infections and re-infections are not what really count; it’s hospitalization rates and ICU rates that count. The Thai government [has] to emphasize those new numbers and shift the narrative towards ‘how many people are really getting sick?’ not ‘are the numbers going up?’” added Mr Ho.

By reporting this new data, he said, it should be possible for Phuket to be set apart from the rest of Thailand and placed on the “safe list” of destinations to visit. This is not without precedent; the UK government for example, has put the island of Madeira on its green list, while the rest of Portugal remains on the amber list. The same rule applies to Denmark and the Faroe Islands.