PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN: The seaside resort town of Hua Hin will be reopened to foreign tourists on Oct 1 it was announced on Wednesday, even as more Covid-19 infections were reported in the province - most linked to a pineapple canning factory.
The much-awaited reopening plan was announced by provincial governor Prompiriya Kitnuson.
He also announced there were 71 new Covid-19 cases diagnosed on Tuesday.
He said 54 were found by active case finding among employees at the Dole pineapple canning factory.
The province had now accumulated 3,658 Covid cases, of which 969 were still under treatment and 11 had died.
Of the province's 1,540 beds arranged for Covid patients at main and field hospitals, 972 were occupied and 568 still available.
Mr Prompiriya said the province planned to reopen Hua Hin, under the slogan "Hua Hin Recharge", on Oct 1 to fully vaccinated foreign tourists, without quarantine.
In the lead up to the opening, the province aimed to vaccinate 100% of workers in the tourism and services sector and 70% of the general population of Hua Hin Municipality by Sept 30, Mr Prompiriya said.
At present, about 8% of the general population had been inoculated with vaccines provided by the government and the private sector.
Hua Hin Municipality had ordered 50,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine for people in its area.
A map outlining "sealed routes" for tourists was being drawn up.
The governor said Hua Hin expected about 1.2 billion baht in revenue to circulate in the fourth quarter (October-December) following the reopening, and about 89,000 workers would have jobs again.