Phuket sandbox timeline to be reset

The Tourism and Sports Ministry needs to reset the timeline for the Phuket sandbox because the province may not have enough vaccine doses following the new nationwide spread of the virus.

Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said next week the ministry plans to meet with all related agencies to discuss the reopening plan, previously set for July 1 this year, which needs a major revamp due to the spike in new daily infections.

The key determinant is insufficient vaccines for pilot destinations, said Mr Phiphat. Prior to the third wave, Phuket already secured more than 100,000 doses and is poised to get additional doses of around 930,000 for 70% of the population to achieve herd immunity by June.

But the spike in Covid-19 cases in many places has interrupted that plan, as a limited number of vaccines must also be distributed to other provinces,…