The surge in new coronavirus infections on Phuket is at a "crisis" level, the provincial governor admitted on Wednesday.

"That the number of infections is more than 200 a day is a crisis situation," Phuket governor Narong Woonciew said on Wednesday. "We need to manage the situation better in the province."

The island province on Wednesday reported 258 new cases, one of them a tourist under the sandbox programme.

It was the highest rate of daily infections in the last week. Three of the last four days have seen the number rising above 200.

The surge came despite 70% of its population having been inoculated against Covid-19 before the island reopened for fully vaccinated tourists on July 1.

The provincial immigration chief said foreign workers could be among the groups contributing to the rise of new cases. Many of them still ignored social distancing and other measures.

Immigration police would patrol all work camps more often and take action against workers violating lockdown measures, he said.

Phuket tourism operators have called on authorities to quickly bring an end to the recent surge. They warn it could scare away tourists.