Phuket extends lockdowns

Phuket extends lockdowns

Phuket has extended its lockdowns in some areas and banned interprovincial travel, as the number of daily Covid-19 infections within the province reached a new high yesterday.

Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn, adviser to the national police, said Phuket reported a record daily high on Wednesday of 192 new cases.

Of them, 189 contracted the virus in the province while three cases were in the Sandbox tourism programme, he said.

Therefore, Pol Lt Gen Surachate said the province needs to extend its lockdowns in at-risk areas while interprovincial travel has been completely banned.

If people want to enter or leave the resort island, he said they must be tested no more than 72 hours prior to travel and pay 500 baht for the testing.

Pol Lt Gen Surachate said drivers of vehicles transporting goods and people, including migrants to the province, were waiting in queues to be tested for Covid-19 at the Sarasin Bridge, the travel link to the mainland.

At Phuket airport, foreign visitors were continuing to arrive in the country while airport officials were checking to see if Thai visitors were vaccinated.

Those who come to the island to work must have permits, he said.

Officials dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE) have also been continuing to arrange registration for the Sandbox tourism programme for foreign visitors.

Infections on the island have soared to above 100 new cases a day for almost two weeks, raising local concerns.

Of the 192 cases yesterday, 130 were in quarantine and 58 were in the general population while one had just returned from another province.

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