Traveling to Phuket is not a good idea at the moment

...if you are looking for a relaxing vacation or a place to live.

Unless you have too much money and want to know the strange logic of the Thai authorities.

In my last post I showed the hoops you have to jump through to get to the SHA+ hotel.

https://travelfeed.io/@dirkzett/the-grand-reopening-of-phuket

However, this is not a guarantee, it is just the first hopeful step.

During the 14 days at the hotel, there will be morning and evening counting sessions where you must be present, free movement my ass.

If you are not there, the police will find you, thanks to the two tracking apps. But you will get a free ride in a policecar before you pay the fine for being AWOL from the squad.

By the way, taking someone to your room is not allowed either.

If that is not enough of a lesson to you

If there was someone on your plane who tested positive when you arrived in Phuket, you are automatically contact persons and therefore high risk patients. The fact that you have been tested negative does not matter.

You will have to leave your booked and paid hotel without refund and move to a quarantine hotel at your own expense. Your health insurance will not pay, because you are not tested positive. Prices start from 50000 Baht for 14 nights.

You will spend 14 days locked in your hotel room, no exit, no pool, no room service, but 3 meals in plastic boxes.

The only thing you can hope for is that in this 14 days no test in your "travel group" will be positive, otherwise your stay will be extended.

The only way to get your money back for the hotel you booked and are no longer using is to go home. Then you will even get the money for the tests back.

But that's not all.

If you are not a retiree and plan to stay in Thailand longer than your visa says, you have to hope that the Corona exemption in Thailand will last as long as in the neighboring countries.

In the state of exemption your visas will be extended without a visarun. If it is lifted, the old rules apply, incl. visarun.

But where to run, if the neighboring countries keep their borders closed?

It is also unclear whether you then have to go through the entire procedure of entry again.

Good luck to all who still try to discover paradise in Phuket.