DoctorB

The "mad talk" is promoting the idea that zero covid is possible and achievable by taking away peoples freedom, destroying the economy and reducing everyone to penury. And those freedoms will probably never be returned in full. As one commentator remarked, "power is a ratchet, not a pendulum"; ie, once taken it is tightened, not returned.

Well, after 75 years of Communism anyone with any manners will have been liquidated as a bourgeois long ago. The Russians showed the same unfortunate traits when they first arrived in Pattaya in the '90s.

And others just love virtue signaling.

Actually in 18 months of relentless daily reporting in the UK the number of recoveries has never been highlighted. Presumably because it would counteract the fear messaging and give people a sense of optimism. All credit to this guy then for stressing the positive. At least it gives hope.

What is really stupid is crashing the economy and making people destitute, in a country without an effective social security system, for what is, for most people, a relatively mild illness, with a death rate on a par with influenza. Infectious it may be, but it's not Ebola or the Black Death.

Be fair to him. Without covid there would be no CCSA and no job for him, so he's hardly likely to downplay the risks. He's just doing what he' s paid to do; keep the ball rolling.

You really do not have a great deal of charity, do you? Perhaps the lady had mental health issues. Don't be so so quick to judge. You have no evidence the she was either a drunk or an exhibitionist.

Given how few tourists there are likely to be, the strict testing requirements prior to flying and on arrival, and the rate of infection already prevalent in Bangkok, the tourists are unlikely to add much to the risk level; a bit of a drop in the ocean. At least the tourists will be vaccinated and have some protection from the locals.

Hardly. How many Thai people regularly frequent entertainment venues; particularly if they have to work? Covid is being spread by the normal daily human interaction involved in shopping, working and everyday life. The SkyTrain is probably far more dangerous than any well managed restaurant or bar. Lockdowns are one of those seemingly bright ideas that in reality achieve little in the long run while being weapons of economic mass destruction.

Thank you for that; it was very helpful However, it still leaves a problem for anyone wanting to stay on a retirement visa. As far as I can see non of the approved companies on the official list are prepared to issue new policies to the over 70s, thus excluding many of the the very retirees the O-A and O-X visas were intended to attract. Can any one advise where an annual policy is available in Thailand for the over 70s, preferably at a price that isn't bankrupting?

But there is real concern about the increasing delays in diagnosis, even for potentially serious conditions such as cancer. And without prompt diagnosis there will be no surgery. Also the latest news is that basic blood tests are having to be put off due to a failure to obtain the necessary sample tubes. The NHS so often seems to be on the edge of disaster.

I'd be interested to know where and how. I'm UK resident, admittedly in my 70s but with no significant health issues and recently sought a number of quotes from UK companies for a 3 month trip. They typically came in at around £1,200. You may consider that reasonable but for most people £100 per week is expensive.

How many times do people have to say it? Once you reach that age health insurance is either impossible to get or incredibly expensive. Common sense doesn't come into it. It's really a choice of setting aside emergency funds or staying home; and forget about an O-A or O-X visa with their mandatory insurance requirements.

Then the limey guy must have either been an idiot or a long time abroad. You can't even get a face to face with a primary care doctor (GP) since covid started and hospital waiting lists are running up to a year or more.

What rubbish! People cannot just go out and do what they want; they never could. What does "less people vaccinated" mean? Less than what, where, when? Why should Delta spread more and quicker as it is already the prevalent strain and cases are already dropping? Whether there will be more cases in future is purely speculation but lockdowns, longer or otherwise, are entirely at the behest of the government. You really do need to lighten up a bit and stop your fear mongering.

The greatest UK demand probably comes from the retired, semi retired or self employed who can come for Christmas and stay from the end of November to the begining of March. It is almost impossible to anticipate what absurdities the UK government could come up with in the intervening period and so becomes an exercise in personal risk management. I suspect many would go for it if only Thai entry restrictions were eased somewhat and international flights were reinstated.

For those non-Brits baffled by this post - UK covid presentations are accompanied by the mantra "hands, face, space" to remind one of washing, masks and social distancing. When travelling on trains etc the mantra is "see it, say it, sorted" to encourage the reporting of anything unusual and possibly terrorist related. These are the 2 most common examples but the relentless drive to treat the British public as 7 year olds is not limited to these examples. A 10 point plan would be regarded by the UK authorities as way beyond the intellectual capacity of its people.

Spot on! The sheer meanness displayed by certain posters on this forum is unbelievable. At the very least the authorities concerned should allow people to return home on the conditions that applied when they travelled, within a certain but reasonable time scale; say 14 days maximum.

Yet only last month they put India on the 'no quarantine if vaxed' amber list. The mentality is baffling. It really does seem that it's just a game of travel roulette.

In a country without any form of organised social security if you don't work you don't eat, so everyone has to do something, even if it's only collecting empty bottles and cans. Pre covid it was noticeable how many people were out and about doing something at all times of the night or day.

God love us! It must be fun to be in Pattaya just now with the boys in brown rushing round busting people right and left and the usual sanctimonious keyboard blowhards egging them on. And it will achieve little or nothing in the long run. How nice to be in London having a pint with a friend.

I don't understand a word of that. I thought the whole point of the mandatory covid insurance was to cover the cost of hospital treatment. If not, what is it intended for? Secondly, what does , "they would be... turned back home" mean? Are there cases of people being deported as a consequence of being hospitalised for covid? Could someone please elucidate for me?

Absolutely! You can't run a high speed rail system on meter gauge.

Officially 433,063 and 31,536,224 recovered, according to worldometers.info; but I guess the figures will be rubbished as usual.

A friend returning from Oz to Pattaya reported that it was not particularly difficult to get permission to leave. He had to give a reason, (in his case to deal with a financial matter, so not on compassionate grouns), and promise to stay away for at least 3 months. Not a tourist by the usual defintion; just a regular keen to get back to his condo.