Phuket Sandbox

[colmx]

(Moved to laptop to prevent further lost posts!)
Some airlines such as Emirates and Etihad offer a "free" insurance which covers all the requirements of the COE and sandbox. But their cover for close contacts or asymptomatic infection is very limited. From memory its something like 100USD per day, whereas Bangkok-Phuket hospital charge 500 per USD day.

I saw one poster that failed his test on arrival and then paid 5600B for an Ambulance (in full hazmat) to take him to hospital for a second test. After failing that second test he was committed to Bangkok-Phuket hospital for 14 days at a cost of 271,000B. As he was using a french insurance provider he will need to pay frst and then try to claim later

[colmx]

This is the body of the most recent post by the French sandboxer referenced above:

*** Disclaimer before everything I wrote: By no means is this post intended to discourage people to come to Phuket and Thailand in general, it is a beautiful country with the nicest people, worth visiting for sure. I was just one of the unlucky ones to be tested positive on arrival, 30 so far out of more than 22000 people who came through sandbox program) This post is just to help people who might be in the same case as me, so they know what to expect. And also please double check your insurance really covers you because the costs will be high for hospital quarantine. ***

Thank you all for your nice and sweet messages and those in MP who gave me some good advices as they went through the same thing before. I'll be okay.

For info I am vaccinated with Johnson and Johnson (one shot only needed) and the insurance I have is AWP (which is Allianz), I took it through a website in Thailand. Will update on how it handles my case.

I arrived on 18th of August at 1:30pm with flight from Qatar Airways QR840, was waiting for my result forever and then this morning finally they called... Positive !
That's going to be a fun visit to Phuket for sure. Anyone knows what is the next step? Hotel told me a doctor would contact me and then what? Transfer to hospital?

UPDATE 1: went to the hospital to get tested again, "only" 5600thb for a transfer in an ambulance with the sirens on, no windows open and no ac (they told me they would breathe my very dangerous air in front). Never been in an ambulance before, I thought I would die in a car crash since it was a really fast transfer (oh the irony to die in an ambulance for a covid test).
I felt so special, the guy came to pick me up in full protective gear and stayed far away from me, then at the hospital they did the swab outside in a special area for "biohazard bomb" like me. I didn't know until now that it was possible to go that deep in a nose, that was brutal, one nostril only though, there is a limit to the pleasure they would give you
Now have to wait for a few hours to get the result and hopefully it comes up negative this time so I can get out of my room. If not I can try again another test.

UPDATE2: got a call this morning and second test came up positive again so that's it I now have to move to hospital, for the next 14 days. I am trying to negotiate to get my first 2 days as quarantine days as I was anyway stuck in my hotel room, let's see how that goes. Now I sure hope the insurance will cover up for the expenses, I will be transferred to Bangkok hospital in Phuket, they contacted me directly and asked if I was okay to go there and made sure that I understand I need to come with my card or cash to pay 100k thb deposit first. And then the cost of the hospital for 2 weeks should be around 271k thb... I sure hope my insurance will cover all this. Pick up by ambulance at 2pm,will update you later on the situation.

UPDATE 3: I arrived yesterday afternoon (20th) in the Bangkok hospital (it is in Phuket just as its name tells you ;-) ), they took me to my room which is actually quite nice as far as I can tell for an hospital room. Again I got lucky to get the ambulance for the second time in my life with the sirens on!. After a few hours I got the doctor on the phone who asked me about my symptoms, when it started... Told her it started with mild headache at my layover in Doha when I went to the lounge and was feeling cold... so because of that she said she would take my first positive test as the first day with covid (could have gotten one more day but well), so since I have already done 3 days in Phuket since arrival they will let me do only 11 days in hospital.
Nurses came to check on me, told them I had headache , a little sore throat and feeling like a cold. Temperature went up in the evening to 38.3c, but this morning when they checked me I was okay, back to a normal 36.8c. I just feel a bit tired (but I think the jet lag is there) and I still have strong headache / migraine. So I definitely have something. Lungs X-Ray didn't show anything bad, so I am good.
No news from the insurance so far and from what I see on the website of the hospital my room is 12k THB a night without treatment and doctor cost. My 100K THB deposit was taken ;-)

To be continued....

[latintopxxx]

you should be ok, 99,5% of deaths and serious complications are amongst the unvaccinated.

[Brad the Impala]

I am one that is definitely considering the Sandbox for an October trip

The current deal-breakers for me would be:
-Lack of internal flights, hopefully sorted by end of August

This seems to be getting sorted already, albeit in limited supply so far. Thai Airways is starting twice weekly flights between Phuket and Bangkok from the beginning of September. Used to be ten or so every day!

Thanks for all your good advice.

[Khor tose]

TRY going to Krabi instead of BKK. New rules on Phuket Sandbox.
Copied from the internet

"Starting from 16 August, 2021, the “Phuket Sandbox 7+7 Extension” program allows eligible international travelers to reduce the mandatory stay in Phuket from 14 to 7 days, after which another 7 nights can be spent in Krabi (Ko Phi Phi, Ko Ngai, or Railay), Phang-Nga (Khao Lak or Ko Yao), or Surat Thani (Samui Plus – Ko Samui, Ko Pha-ngan, or Ko Tao). Now you can book hotels, rent a car, find fun activities, as well as other services for your Phuket Sandbox trips at your disposal."

[cdnmatt]

This whole sandbox thing seems like a waste of money at this point. Has anyone been watching the cases in Thailand over the last month? Who cares if a couple travellers show up with Covid at this point?

[Patanawet]

The CCSA spokesman just said that 'in the future' the Sandbox 7+7 'might possibly' include Bangkok.
About 12'30secs in.
https://fb.watch/7BGR3Hc3Vr/

[goji]

The CCSA spokesman just said that 'in the future' the Sandbox 7+7 'might possibly' include Bangkok.

The current 7+7 allow people to move from the large island of Phuket to much smaller islands, or in the case of Railay, a part of the mainland only accessible by boat. It only takes a few hours to explore all of Railay, so I wouldn't want to spend a whole week there.

To state the obvious, Bangkok would be very different.

[Patanawet]

To state the obvious, Bangkok would be very different.

Hence my quotation marks.

[christianpfc]

Just make entire Thailand a sandbox / quarantine zone. Nothing to lose health-wise, only to gain tourist-money-wise.