The Thai island of Phuket is asking the Center for the Control of COVID-19 (CCSA) to improve its coronavirus screening measures for foreign travelers after an alarming number of tourists tested positive on arrival. Thai authorities, local media reported, are concerned about the rate of positive cases among those arriving, and have warned that infected tourists are already running out of hotel rooms to quarantine. And the tourist program of entering the country of smiles without quarantine was resumed only a few days ago. According to experts’ forecasts, the burden on the hotel sector and health care in the form of covid-positive tourists will increase in the near future. The Ukrainians’ favorite island of Phuket gave a warning.
By the way, earlier the governor of the resort province said that the majority of people infected with covid in Phuket come from Russia – read the details by link.
It is believed that the current situation is largely due to fake negative pre-departure test results or false negatives that were discovered only after travelers arrived on the resort island.
According to Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panapong during a teleconference on February 3, the rise in infections among tourists is likely to increase the burden on the province to organize hospitals and isolate hotels for guests. The number is expected to rise due to the large number of tourists applying to enter the resort island under the government’s quarantine-free Test & Go program, which resumed on Tuesday, February 1.
“False PCR test results for COVID-19 are believed to have something to do with the spike in post-arrival positive tests among tourists,” he said.
In addition, the official accused travelers of using the rapid antigen test results instead of the PCR test before entering Thailand. “These issues are beyond Phuket’s jurisdiction and require the assistance of the CCSA operations center to resolve them,” the chief added.
Phuket also wants the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand to warn airlines operating international flights to Thailand of the need to strictly check passengers’ medical documents before departure. As for post-arrival covid testing, the tropical island’s authorities said they are making every effort to ensure that the testing area at the airport is not overcrowded, especially when large numbers of passengers arrive at the same time due to flight delays, the official said.
Short-term forecast
After the restart of the tourist program of quarantine-free entry into the country for vaccinated tourists, the airport processes about 3,000 PCR tests per day, but its throughput can be increased to 10,000 per day if necessary. The head of the province emphasized that the infection rate of about 3% after conducting the first tests on arriving passengers is an alarming indicator.
Currently, the situation with COVID-19 among foreign tourists arriving in Phuket is under control, said Weerasak Lorthongham, a doctor and director of the island hospital. However, if the infection rate exceeds 5%, the province’s hospital and hotel isolation system will be overwhelmed, as all hotels that host foreign guests are now required to reserve about 5% of their rooms for this purpose, he explained.
Despite a promise to find measures to help curb the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases among tourist arrivals, CCSA operations centers on Thursday predicted further pressure on Phuket as up to 40% of the 20,000 foreign tourists registering to enter Thailand for scheme They decided to arrive on the island on Monday. A total of 7,742 travelers arrived in Thailand on Monday and Tuesday, 344 of whom tested positive for covid on the spot.
