Thailand: Phuket reopening still in the works

Despite daily infections reaching a record high of 2,070 cases in Thailand last week, the country is determined to reopen to international tourists starting with Phuket on July 1. The Tourism and Sports Ministry on Friday committed to its plan to welcome vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine requirements. However, that leaves only two months to prepare and it will require a massive effort to ensure the plan can proceed. Tourism operators are demanding clarification from the government about entry regulations, international flights administration, travel bubble agreements, and Covid-19 vaccination efforts. Previous timelines predicted 70% of the population would need to be inoculated by June, but that projection now seems hopelessly optimistic. Reflecting that lack of progress, some tourism operators remain uncertain about the benefits of reopening when Thailand has yet to inoculate much its population. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the government is working on creating standard operating procedures as the country races to nail down rules in order to meet its reopening deadline.<br/>