Phuket wants to buy its own jabs
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Officials vow to help the whole country
published :
30 Apr 2021 at 05:00
Covid-19 vaccination in Phuket on Thursday. (Photo: Achadtaya Chuenniran)
Phuket's authorities have asked for permission to organise their own purchase of Covid-19 vaccines so they can expedite their plans to reopen the resort island for international tourism.
Thanusak Phungdet, president of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, said local bodies wanted the province to purchase its own Covid-19 vaccines and the right to search for vaccine makers at home and overseas to accelerate its vaccination rollout.
He said plans to reopen the island without visitors needing to quarantine, known as the Phuket Tourism Sandbox, has been approved by the cabinet but delayed by the latest Covid-19 wave.