3 Phuket ‘reopening’ visitors escape quarantine hotel and Thailand is nervous

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Phuket finally reopened to foreign visitors on July 1, 2021, as part of what Thai authorities are calling the ‘Phuket Sandbox’ scheme. It’s a pilot program to test whether reopening the country is a feasible option, considering that it’s still struggling to contain the spread of COVID-19.

On the first day, things seemed to be fine and dandy as the island’s first foreign travelers disembarked their planes and walked through the airport.

Phuket ‘Sandboxers’ at a night market in Phuket. IMAGE: Jeremy Ansell / The Straits Times

Now, a week after the island’s reopening, we’re starting to witness the situation rear its ugly head. Naysayers who doubted the effectiveness of the Sandbox before it even started are shaking their heads. Those who had ‘faith’ in it are…