Why Thailand is prioritising Phuket for early coronavirus vaccine rollout
Phuket, Thailand
A significant part of Thailand's economy relies on tourism, which has been tremendously affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Now, to bring back vacationers into the island of Phuket, Thailand has fast-tracked inoculation of people living on the island.
The popular resort destination is receiving vaccines two months before the rest of the country. The island hopes to inoculate at least 460,000 people before July 1, when the provision for mandatory quarantine for tourists will be lifted.
The island boasts an international airport of its own. The mass inoculation hopes to prevent an outbreak during peak tourist season.
"If we can build immunity for 70-80% of the population on the island, we can receive foreign tourists who have been vaccinated without the need for quarantine,"Reuters cited Phuket's Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong as saying.
Medical workers, cabinet members and the elderly have been prioritised as part of this rollout.
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The tourism sector in the country has been hit hard, with over 1.45 million jobs lost since last year. Before the pandemic spending by foreign tourists accounted for 11-12 per cent of the country’s GDP.
Only 6.7 million foreign tourists went to Thailand in 2020, and spend about $11 billion. In 2019, 40 million tourists went to the country and spent at least $61 billion.
The government is hopeful of tourists’ return as global vaccinations reach milestones. The first ones that are expected to show up include Europeans and Americans, along with people from the United Arab Emirates.