Full steam ahead. The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s insists that the sandbox re-opening plans for 6 of Thailand’s most economically sensitive tourist magnets will start on July 1… July 2021.

Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Chiang Mai will, according to the TAT, be open to foreign tourists who have received 2 doses of Covid-19 vaccine (or 1 if that’s the vaccine dose of a registered vaccine in Thailand).

Phuket will be the first destination to lift quarantine requirements for vaccinated foreign tourists under the ‘Phuket Sandbox’ program. And the TAT say the date WILL be July 1, 2021.

“Tourists will be required to spend the first seven days on the island, before travelling to other Thai destinations.”

The TAT says that authorities continue to work on vaccination programs on the island “to safely achieve herd immunity against Covid-19 for 70% of Phuket’s population, including residents, workers in tourism-related businesses, and migrant workers.”

So far, the best intentions of Phuket officials have only vaccinated around 90-100,000 residents, less than 25% of the island’s resident population but well ahead of other parts of the country.

The Thai government are trying to acquire additional vaccines to reach the target of 100 million doses to vaccinate 50 million people across Thailand by the end of the year, according to the TAT.

“Bangkok, Phuket, Chon Buri which includes Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Surat Thani which includes Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, as well as 8 other high-risk provinces were being prioritised in the rollout of the first vaccine doses.”

Some 1.47 million people in Thailand have now received at least 1 dose of the 2-dose vaccines available in Thailand at this time. The country’s mass vaccination rollout is scheduled to begin in June when the first batch of 6 million doses of the locally licensed AstraZeneca vaccine will start to be delivered by Siam Bioscience.

“The amount will increase to 10 million doses a month between July and November, and the last batch of 5 million doses in December.”

The Thai government is also in the process of acquiring 37 million more doses of vaccine to be delivered within this year from either Pfizer, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson or Sinovac, as well as from Moderna, Sinopharm and Bharat.

“According to the government, all people in Thailand, regardless of nationality, are eligible to receive the vaccine and can register for the vaccination program via the Mor Prom (“Doctors Ready”) Line official account, or at hospitals and health promotion hospitals nationwide. ”