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BANGKOK: A Thai vacation island reopened for locals on Saturday (May 2) when Thailand begins to ease its coronavirus prevention measures, while authorities also plan to attract wealthy tourists to other islands.
Koh Larn Island, in Chonburi province, about 80 kilometers southeast of Bangkok, began allowing locals to leave and enter the island on Friday since its borders were closed in March.
Chonburi Governor Pakarathorn Thienchai ordered the island to be reopened on Wednesday, but visitors are still not allowed to stay overnight.
Thailand will reopen some companies like restaurants, markets and sports clubs on Sunday as it reports fewer new cases of coronavirus daily.
The government coronavirus task force reported six new cases on Friday, the fifth consecutive day that it has seen fewer than 10 new cases. He reported more than 100 new cases most days in March.
Earlier this week, Tourism Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said his ministry is proposing to offer one-month luxury tour packages on the popular tourist islands of Phuket, Samui and Pha Ngan starting in July.
Arriving tourists would have to fly directly to their destination province and stay for at least a month in luxurious surroundings.
“The idea is to accept high-spending tourists who want to spend their vacations in Thailand when Thailand is virus free,” said Pipat.
Pipat said the tourist package would be doubled as a precautionary measure for the coronavirus, but that other public and private sectors also have to accept it.
Thailand has reported 2,960 cases of coronavirus, with 54 deaths. – dpa
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