Overseas tourists finally roam free on Thai island of Phuket

PHUKET: Newly arrived overseas tourists on Thailand's island of Phuket were able to roam free without quarantine on Friday for the first time in more than a year, as Thailand launched a special programme for vaccinated visitors to the island.

Tourists swam in hotel pools and walked along Phuket's postcard-perfect beaches after receiving a COVID-19 test result within 24 hours of arrival. "This is the perfect place to just relax and clean our minds, our heads, after a long time," said Sigal Baram, lying by the pool, who was visiting with her husband and friends. The group was among the first to arrive in the country.