Thailand’s resort island of Phuket has decided to tighten travel restrictions on people arriving from the 10 “maximum controlled and restricted” and the 24 “maximum controlled” zone provinces from Thursday until the end of the month, to control the spread of COVID-19.

Under the new restrictions, announced today (Sunday) by Governor Narong Woonsiew, all people arriving on Phuket from those zones will be required to be fully inoculated, or one dose of AstraZeneca vaccine administered, at least 14 days before their arrival by land, sea or air.

They must also have undergone a RT-PCR or rapid antigen test not more than seven days before their arrival.

People who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection, not more than 90 days before their arrival, can enter the island, but must have taken an RT-PCR or rapid antigen test not more than seven days before their arrival.

Students under 18, who cannot be vaccinated yet, who need to enter or exit Phuket to further their studies must obtain an ID card from their educational institutes to be shown to officials at the entry or exit checkpoint.  They are also required to obtain an RT-PCR COVID-19 test certificate, valid for one month, from the provincial health office.

Children under 6 are exempted from the restrictions.

Those who enter Phuket will also be required to download the “Mor Chana” app onto their smart phones, so their movements on the island can be monitored by officials throughout their stay.

If they fall sick and suspect that they may be infected by the virus, they must report to health officials immediately.

Phuket has been open to certain foreign arrivals, who are fully inoculated, since July 1^st under the “sandbox” scheme. They are required to stay on the island for 14 days before being allowed to travel to other parts of Thailand.