Thailand’s two-week mandatory quarantine period has been a buzzkill for international visitors—which is why the country has decided to shake things up.
Under a new ‘Digital Yacht Quarantine’ project, travellers carrying a negative coronavirus test report will be allowed to complete their quarantine on a yacht or small cruise ship in Phuket.
The only catch? It’s BYOY—bring your own yacht!
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Book FlightsCurrently on a trial run, the scheme requires travellers to wear smart bands that will monitor their vitals (pulse, temperature, blood pressure) and location while on the yacht.
According to the government, the bands can transmit data up to 10 kilometres offshore, and will be able to send out emergency SOS signals if the wearer needs medical attention. Its health tracking mechanism works on NB-IoT technology.
Once the 14-day quarantine wraps up, authorities will analyse the data one last time before allowing each traveller to go ashore in Phuket. The scheme is expected to pull in “more than 100 yachts and 300 to 500 visitors during 2021”, as per the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
This isn’t the first time the country got creative with COVID-safety. Earlier this year, visitors from more than 50 countries were allowed to bide their time at one of five lush golf resorts.
Spread across Kanchanaburi and Nakhon Nayak, travellers could enjoy 11 days of unlimited golf on the greens, plus all the amenities the properties had on offer.
Now if only a Bangkok penthouse quarantine came up…😉
