Great advice! That's what I've been doing for over a month now. Just wish it was a more timely procedure. Phuket is still mostly empty due to the lack of foreign tourism. Blessing and a curse.
Tourist visa extension for another 60 days if I'm lucky. So the best course of action is to stay in Phuket until this is all sorted out? I've already invested this much time into the process and I'd rather not fly to Chiang Mai and then come back to Phuket again.
I've been assured by the officer at immigration that I won't need to pay the overstay fees since I already extended my visa and awaiting approval from the government. It's out of my control.