New Year’s Eve in Phuket under sanitary control
To celebrate the New Year on the Thai island of Phuket you need to be double vaccinated and have a test done 72 hours in advance
Preparations for Phuket Island’s New Year celebrations are underway and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has confirmed his presence among the performers who will take to the stage to proclaim the arrival of 2022, the Bangkok Post reported.
Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Monday that the festive New Year event “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2022, Amazing New Chapters @Phuket” will be held in Saphang Hin under strict health controls. The minister said the countdown event, which will start at 8 pm, will feature a performance by Italian singer Andrea Bocelli and 10 Thai artists and will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display.
All visitors will be required to show proof that they have had two vaccinations and have shown a negative Covid-19 test done no earlier than 72 hours before entering the celebration area. Due to the outbreak of infections caused by the new Omicron variant of coronavirus, participants are advised to keep a social distance, Phiphat said.
Highlighting the success of the scheme to restart tourism activities in Phuket, the minister said tourism is expected to rebound next year with revenues of 1.3-1.8 trillion baht.
Following the launch of the sandbox tourism scheme on July 1, locals have been vigilant in combating the virus, said Thapani Kiatpayboon, deputy head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. She expressed confidence that the countdown event would show that it was possible to have a good time despite the measures put in place to combat the spread of Covid-19.
Phuket deputy governor Piyapong Chowong said local authorities were ready for the New Year celebrations and provided regular updates to the Covid-19 situation centre.
Provincial Public Health Department head Dr Kusak Kukiattikun assured that strict prevention measures would be put in place, including registration through the app. The proposed measures have been reviewed and approved by the provincial communicable diseases committee.
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