fcbkk

I believe there used to be one in Phuket town but this no longer exists. A local resident told me the only one nowadays is at the airport. Their website should show current locations?

48 minutes ago, stevenl said:

It doesn't say SHA + is a requirement in your quote. So thanks finally quoting and clearing that up, was it that hard?

It’s obviously hard enough for you to project options other than the mentioned SHA+ operators into the article? Get a life. End of story. 

2 hours ago, stevenl said:

I quoted from an official source, you only gave incorrect information you said you read.

So the same source is official info in your post, but not in mine? It might have occurred to you there may be contradictory info published on the same official sources, or bits were amended over time without older articles being updated? 

Attached a screenshot of the article that i referred to (title: “General information - Phuket Sandbox Updated”), last updated on 26-Aug. 

The article that you quoted from may be more detailed, or older, or newer … who knows? Obviously not you, because when i asked you did not know a date nor provide a link and only asked me to tell you (555). Do you think this is a competition here? Get a life mate. 

As mentioned already i do not know what is actual fact at the moment as i did not investigate this point further, hence recommended to check locally (and at the time) if such activities are of interest to anyone.  

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Don't know, you tell me. I quoted from your link, you only claimed your link said something.

“You quoted” but “i only claimed”? Funny. 

I did not provide a link, i stated the source and told you when the article was last updated, the info was meant as help to anyone looking. i haven’t come across what you said you read, but if that is the case then pick whatever version suits your agenda and enjoy life? Stay safe and keep others safe. 

4 hours ago, Espanol said:

You are aware that hotel front desk will always recommend activities and taxis where they get a commission, aren't you?

Only in the wrong kind of hotel, but anyhow i did not suggest to buy services from the front desk, i only recommended to check detail questions about the regulations for activities during the Sandbox period, e.g. with the hotel manager. 

The hotels have obligations under the Scheme and obviously have a direct link to the related admin offices and can call them for specific questions.

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Free choice. From the site you mention "

Q: What tours and excursions, transportation, and restaurants should I use while in Phuket?

A: It is recommended that you use SHA Plus operators for tours and transportation and SHA Plus restaurants for dining although this is not compulsory.",

Good to know. When was the article published that you quoted from? The Sandbox info article that stated maritime activities being possible via SHA+ operators was last updated 26-Aug. Anyhow, not sure what is fact, i did not investigate beyond this point as mentioned i have been happy doing other activities anyway hence recommended to check with hotel manager.

5 hours ago, stevenl said:

Agree with a lot you write, but this "You need to check as during Sandbox you will only be permitted to take part in SHA+ licensed operators." Is not true. First transport from airport to hotel has to be SHA+, after that you're totally free in your choices.

Free choice perhaps because no-one checks or unlicensed operators need the revenue and don’t mention it? 

The need for SHA+ licensed operators during the Sandbox period is mentioned on tatnews.org (which publish all provincial & sandbox regulations) for all yacht, boat and ferry trips, for any other activities i’d recommend to let the hotel manager check. 

Arrangements worked smoothly, no hitches i am ware of. Changes to the regulations can be expected and unless for any urgent alerts the regular policy updates seem to be published every 2 weeks. The last one on 1-Sep regulated day tours for Sandboxers outside Phuket and for local tourists to visit the island. 

You are aware that you must stay in an SHA+ (not SHA) licensed hotel during the Sandbox period i.e. first 2 weeks? 

Local infections have risen to some 200+ daily, i hear of clusters (recently in Rawai) via local friends, but have not found any single reliable public source of such news.

Many of the fantastic local food places are open and can do with income, some with restrictions such as reduced opening hours and no alcohol being served. The quality of covid precautions differs somewhat and so does the behaviour of many guests. But it is fairly empty/quiet and usually possible to choose places to sit with distance or out in the open with good air circulation. 

Not sure how much of any organised activities may be available, many seem closed. You need to check as during Sandbox you will only be permitted to take part in SHA+ licensed operators. I did not investigate this as i was very happy spending my time outdoors trekking or so and in that sense Phuket Sandbox offers a lot. 

18 hours ago, Espanol said:

When you check out at your SHA+ hotel after 14 days sandbox, you get a sandbox certificate.

 

With that document your are free to leave the island on day 14th.

 

If you stay longer, you may need a new test.

 

16 hours ago, Otto2910 said:

You do an RT-PCV test on the 12th or 13th day, if you drive immediately after the 14 days that's enough, otherwise you may have to do an antigen or PCV test again. Traveling by land transport through the Tha Chatchai checkpoint CANNOT be done during the hours of 23.00-04.00 Hrs. In Bangkok (as far as I know, there is curfew from 9 p.m. in the dark red zone). The best thing to do is to ask your hotel manager again. You have to register on the day of the trip. If you can't do it in one day, you stay the night and register again the next day. After registration you will receive the QR code directly.

Thank you all much appreciated.

Hotel info is Sandbox related i.e. they know little about how to leave and onward travel, the manager is checking to confirm all again. New Phuket regulations for the first 2 weeks in September were published on Tuesday, but these only amend details for domestic tourism and day excursions to neighbouring provinces for Sandbox participants. 

39 minutes ago, Otto2910 said:

i was in the sandbox too, but i flew. As far as I know, you just have to indicate your trip and show the QR code at a check. Here the link https://covid-19.in.th/

Thank you. The form and link look like they should cover the overall trip across all provinces. But is there a night curfew or not?

But i also heard a test is required at the bridge checkpoint upon leaving the island, not sure whether PCR or quick test is sufficient?

Does anyone know the requirements for onward travel by car right after the 14 days sandbox end?.

e.g.

is a Test required max 72h prior travel?

is an advance permission required to drive through provinces to Bangkok?

If anyone knows an official site for such info then please post a link.

Many thanks

What an offensive headline by Asean Now.

The money is a third of a monthly salary for many normal workers, pretty obvious they cannot afford to make this step. The money likely means little for those who have made the bookings, but that is not the point. 

It is a lot of money for everyone who pays taxes and social security contributions in Thailand. Regardless of nationality. Why would/should anyone have to? Disgraceful behaviour and organisation from the Thai government. That is the key point.

2 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

Yup, thanks for that.

 

initially Phuket was vaccinating Thai’s only. Then, because of the sandbox scheme, they vaccinated any foreigner employed by a Thai company. Unfortunately, I am retired so didn’t qualify. 
 

i am registered on the Phuket must win app, but it currently says “fully booked” which means no vaccine.

 

I actually also registered in Udon and initially had an appointment on 14 June. That was cancelled through lack of vaccine. I then had one days notice that I had another appointment for yesterday. But of course there is a quarantine in place for arrivals into Udon from bangkok (my flight would transit there) and so it was impossible for me to make that appointment.

 

never mind, maybe my turn will come up in Phuket.

 

thanks for your interest.

 

fingers crossed

i don’t know if this is the same as the app you are registered on already?

https://expat.ภูเก็ตต้องชนะ.com/register

11 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Red tape and cost are considerations, but time is the biggest obstacle, 3 weeks absolute minimum (J&J) plus 2 weeks on return to THL. So 5 weeks minimum. 8, or 9 or 10 more likely with 2-dose vaccines.

The Thai embassy in my EU home country lists a "full vaccination" at least 14 days prior flight to Thailand as one of the essential travel requirements. They do define "full vaccination" as 2 shots of the same brand. If their published definition is indeed correct it means J&J is not an option and thus timelines required for vaccination abroad are longer. I have asked them to confirm. 

3 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

It is a joke, 2 household members under 60 have their vaccinations already but the tax paying foreigner doesn't even have a working website to make an appointment. BTW where are those 1.5 million Astra vaccines that should be there in June?

Not a funny joke unfortunately, but many Thais are waiting too. 

The added delivery of AZ was announced for receipt this week not in June i believe. They will then be quality checked and distributed. If all happens as hoped then a new batch should be available from some time next week i suppose. I'd suggest you keep an eye on the news and the thailandintervac websites.

Other than this all we can do is stay healthy and keep our spirits up. 

Oh and perhaps interrupt our embassies over their afternoon coffee (if they do read emails at all). i've written again and asked what they are doing to ensure equal treatment of all nationalities, and with what right western taxes are used to support initiatives in a country where the government uses nationalistic/racist criteria for the vaccine registration program. Presumable they will have another coffee rather than respond, but perhaps it helps to keep up the pressure through their official channels. 

17 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

If you want to talk about vaccination RATES, as opposed to share of population vaccinated, this below is the chart I look at every day to see how Thailand is doing:

 

As of yesterday, they gave only barely half of the number of vaccine doses (255,734) that they need to give (513,582) in order to meet their goal of vaccinating 70% of the nation's population by the end of the year. And when you consider that the weekend numbers thus far have always dropped off considerably, they're falling further and further behind with each passing day.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/KhaosodEnglish/posts/4460359657316265

 

Well i posted the comparison of rates, as you said in your previous post that Thailand wasn't catching up. From that quick comparison it looks like they have been catching up a little, at least compared to Indonesia and the Phillipines. But the rates administered in that period are still slower than all the other Asian countries in the chart. 

Anyhow, that quick overview comparison is a little skewed, as Thailand only started their larger rollout on 7-June. Perhaps the catch-up was greater since then. The trend will be represented more accurately with an updated comparison in a few weeks time. 

But besides maybe an interest in being informed it does not really matter. What matters is that many people in many countries face an anxious wait and some countries are doing far better than others in their efforts - and Thailand so far is one of the worst performers in Asia. 

Thanks for posting your stats and source. The target of 70% by end of 2021 was the positive message (political posturing) and will  obviously be missed by a mile or two, unless the responsible people somehow find a way to escalate. Besides some of the responsible people themselves the greatest bottleneck seems supply of vaccines, rather than administration capacity on the ground. 

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

No, Thailand hasn't caught up with the other ASEAN countries it has been trailing in terms of fully vaccinated / two shot rates among the population. Still lower than most at about 4%, trailed mainly by only Vietnam and the Phils.

 

This was the ASEAN comparison chart I pulled as of June 25, with the comparable rates for the world, U.S. and Asia at large added in for comparative purposes:

 

 

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-people-fully-vaccinated-covid?time=latest

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-people-fully-vaccinated-covid?time=latest

Thank you, the stats you posted seem to confirm what i wrote, i.e. that Thailand's efforts so far lag behind many other Asian countries. I was expressing hope when i stated that Thailand will be catching up since the supposed start of the national program. 

Whether Thailand is indeed catching up or not is not quite so simple to asses, but since my post in response to @WaveHunter quoted data of vaccination doses administered (not the number of 2-shot full vaccinations) i thought it might be useful to have a quick look at the recent development using the same data source as you used. 

Comparison is not precise as countries report data on slightly different days, but the trend should be roughly valid. Unsurprisingly it seems Thailand's efforts since mid May have increased substantially, but still lag behind other countries, e.g. half the rate in Cambodia across the period since mid May. The picture will be skewed somewhat as Thailand only started the program in larger numbers from 7-June, the rate of increase should look better by end of July. Let's hope it can be escalated more, as it should and needs to. 

23 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

I agree that there is a lot of mystery involved in how the rollout is proceeding.   I also share your frustration and anger for the dealy, but there is so much confusion and contradictions from the government, and so many people stating opinions as though they are facts, that nobody really understand the situation.

 

When that happens, it's only natural to take it personal and assume that outsiders (i.e.: expats) are being forgotten about, but I don't think that's true

 

Many Thai nationals are having the same issues.  Many Thai people I've talked to are just as frustrated as we expats are.  I just took a ride with a Grab driver yesterday who is having as much difficulty getting vaccinated as we expats, and he is obviously in a VERY high risk situation, driving strangers around all day.

 

I certainly agree that Thai authorities have brought this perilous situation on us by playing self-serving political games early on instead of diligently securing vaccines as many other countries did, but that is in the past, and we are dealing with the present now.

 

Based on the current (though temporary) shortage of supply, difficult decisions needed to be made about where the vaccines would go, and as I said before, it seems logical that dealing with the high risk geographic regions is necessary as a first step to prevent further cluster from forming.  It's a matter of putting out a burning fire before thinking about preventative measures.  It's really that simple I think.

 

It's too easy to forget that the real goal of vaccination is not about personal protection, but protecting the population as a whole, and if you;ve got clusters that are rapidly getting out of control, that can quickly spread in an exponential way, affecting everyone in a very short time.

 

Remember the current shortage is a temporary situation.  Vaccines already ordered as well as donated ones from foreign countries will soon arrive, and feel pretty confident that things will rapidly start to change when that starts to happen.

 

 

Expats are not being forgotten about indeed. IMO the original intention was to vaccinate Thai's first and make expats pay, as is obvious from quite a few official statements made at the time, as well as actual policies enacted. That original intention had to change in the face of pressure (from the public, international community and Thai scientists and public health officials) against the obviously discriminatory policy, besides being obvious nonsense from a scientific and public health point of view. The result was that official policy gave assurances (words) that vaccination was to be made inclusive for all. Sadly the reality (still) does not match the assurances. 

The obvious discrimination does not reflect all or even the majority of officials, but undoubtedly there are some in responsible positions that spoke and acted accordingly and they still influence policies and/or directly allocate resources and so on. That is why i am not confident we have seen the last of the discrimination and whether it is only a question of catching up with the lack of inclusive preparation and shortage of supply.

I did acknowledge and comment on the problem many Thais face and said it is equally upsetting, but it is not caused by the same problem. Here and now we all have to deal with the result of discrimination, incompetence, self-serving or bad organisation, or however you wish to call it. Remember, compared to many other countries, Thailand had many more months to prepare for inclusive organisation AND sufficient supply of vaccines, whilst infection numbers were relatively low. The lack of both shows all you need to know and those in power should be held to account for both discriminatory policies and all else, but fat chance of that i know. 

We are where we are, right now it's fire fighting and we can only hope for the best and wish us all good health. And pay thanks to the many good Thai people on the ground as volunteers and in health services. 
 

1 hour ago, WaveHunter said:

I think you're being a little heavy-handed in your assessment.  I agree that there have been instances where certain Thai public officials, on their own and not in an official capacity, have stupidly and irresponsibly expressed personal views about expats that were clearly racist in nature, but I don't really believe that the official government policy is in any way discriminatory towards expats.

 

What's going on right now is really just a matter of supply and demand.  It's not just expats who are having issues in becoming vaccinated.  Many Thai nationals are facing the same problem. 

 

Thailand faces a huge problem that was caused mainly by their delay in securing vaccines early on like back in December and January when many other countries were diligently moving forward with that goal.

 

That could have been avoided if self-serving political interests had not played an overwhelming role in the delay early on.  Now, everybody pays the price for that.

 

It seems logical enough that for right now, when there is not enough supply to meet demand, vaccines must be administered where they do the most good, and that's where outbreak clusters are getting out of control like around Bangkok. 

 

I mean, it's like if there is a house on fire, the water gets poured on it first, before being concerned about the house's on each side of the burning home.

 

Once the supply chain for vaccines gets more robust as pending vaccine orders begin arrive, as well as donations from other countries, distribution throughout the Kingdom as a whole, including to expats will probably ramp up pretty quickly.

 

I mean, the biggest goal should be to get everyone vaccinated, simply because the virus doesn't differentiate by nationality, and every person that becomes infected is a risk to the population as a whole

We can agree to disagree.

Sure there is a supply and demand management problem now, but my point was this needs managing inclusively. People should be treated based on sensible priorities (age & health condition and locality to deal with clusters etc). But clearly they should not be managed based on nationality. But they are. Isn't the government responsible for the policies they enact? 

No-one knows if i have a chronic condition, I cannot tell anyone nor input anywhere. I am covered under Thai social security, have paid taxes here, do have a pink ID card, so why can i (and others) not register under the officially designated Mor Prom registration channel? Tell me one good reason please. (The emphasis is on the word 'good').

That alone would not suffice to cover all foreigners, but heyhoo the government did not even think let alone prepare a system for foreigners until pressure was applied. Which goes to underline the point i was making.

Many Thai people too need vaccinating, but at least they can register if they wish. So no, they are not facing the same problem, they face a different problem. The problem Thai people face is not that their nationality makes it impossible to register, they may face organisational issues, due to negligence, incompetence or poor organisation however you would want to call it, but it is not the same problem. 

To stick with your analogy, if the house is on fire you evacuate all people in the house, not one nationality first, then the others through a separate door that is only opened sporadically. 

But to avoid any misunderstanding, I do see the problem many Thai people face too and i am no less upset about it. The behaviour from the government was more than self-serving IMO, but there too i would use much stronger language if there was free speech in this country. Let's just say the gambling with public health has backfired and if i was Thai i know what i would demand from my government and what i would tell them in the face of their handling. But many Thais will be too busy with making ends meet. As a foreigner all i can do is write to my embassy and try help people in daily life as good as possible. E.g. buy food locally directly from the restaurant where possible, donate time or funds to a deserving cause if possible, etc. 

Let's hope the vaccination schedule can be escalated and made to be inclusive. 

Stay well and healthy!

4 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

What it really boils down to IMO is they just have their hands full right now dealing with geographic locations prone to outbreaks, mostly in the Bangkok area, and also assuring that their sandbox pilot program strategy stays on track.

 

It's a pretty sorry thing that the CCSA could just not be a little transparent about that, instead of being silent on why expats are having such a hard time simply getting registered for their place in line. 

 

It makes no sense that they are not more forthcoming, and instead make up excuses about IT glitches with the InterVac registration website and other nonsense.

 

All that sort of disingenuous stuff does is to alienate expats, making them feel that they are being ignored, or even worse, discriminated against, as should be pretty obvious by the sentiments being expressed here on this forum.

Sometimes things need to be spoken out clearly.

Your post is good and of course you are right on the lack of transparency and organisation etc, but i would go further. Expats are not "feeling" discriminated against, they are being discriminated against, fact not emotion. Thailand is enacting a discriminatory policy in words and actions. To discriminate based on nationality is called racist. That is what at least some of the people in power are. 

Calling it out does perhaps help through the back door. For example I have repeatedly written to my embassy about this very point and they have changed from an initial ignorant lazy reply to one that directly admonished the authorities. All embassies will be applying pressure and so they should. Perhaps it is due to their pressure that there is at least a declared will now rather than the "Thai-first" policy that was announced by some officials weeks ago. And the embassies should apply more pressure, because with what right are taxes from western countries used to support trade and development issues in Thailand if the people in power treat foreigners in this way, whilst Thai nationals residing abroad are included in fully inclusive vaccination programs that only and only use common sense to prioritise i.e. age and health conditions, not nationality. There is no room for such behaviour in this world and sometimes you have to call people out for what they are. It really hurts to see this kind of behaviour in the country i love, Thailand deserves better.

*And i and most of us here are the lucky privileged ones, who may have better options for health care or vaccination abroad even if we should not have to. i wonder what any of the immigrant workers or stateless people might be able to tell about discrimination if they were here in this forum?

46 minutes ago, samtam said:

 

Thailandintervac currently only has a "Report Bugs" tab. Surprised you were able to get into it. This has been the status quo since the data breach fiasco was publicised; I think they've just canned it because they're having a sad about loss of face, and/or they just don't have any reliable source of vaccine, or if they did, it's being re-purposed to other more grateful recipients, like conglomerates' staff.

The website looks the same to me. I tried the Mor Prohm Line App earlier today.

The Mor Prohm App did not have any privacy/data issues as far as I know. But there were other usability issues and they decided to take it offline a few weeks ago. I had read somewhere they were improving the system and Mor Prohm would be available again for registrations starting today, hence (as I do have a pink ID card) i tried. 

But not successfully. It does not give an error notice "no foreign ID" or anything specific, only "enter all data" (which i obviously did). My guess is that the non-Thai numbers have been disabled and foreign nationals are supposed to only use the intervac website, which in turn is not available for registration. Perhaps they are improving the data security aspects, or they wait until more doses are available before the site is opened again. Either way, there seems no viable route to register.  

15 hours ago, Enzian said:

It may well be worth it to go in person. One reason why I didn't get into the first group vaccinated by Bumrungrad was that they expected people to walk in and show the More Prom app page on one's phone over the counter-the opposite of what the government spokesman was saying on television. After I got that straightened out, Bumrungrad surprised me by calling and saying I had July 13. But I got a shot of AZ at MedPark on Tuesday 22nd, with a second scheduled 12 weeks out, and I'm hoping I can leverage the still existing 7/13 appointment to something more like 8 or 9 weeks.

Thanks Enzian. However, i am just under 60 without chronic conditions and the first round of registrations was supposed to be for over 60's, hence at the time i did not try either the Mor Prohm App nor the website registration routes. 

Since 14-June the registration was/should have been officially available for <60s as well, but neither does the website accept any data entry nor does the Mor Prom route work. Supposedly its use should have restarted today so i just tried it, but it stops after entry of all personal data showing a helpful popup notice asking to "fill in all data" (which i obviously did). Perhaps it has now been disabled for farang ID numbers?

So that leaves only a personal visit to the hospital, who will likely point me to use the unusable website. 

Anyhow, stay well and all the best for your vax.

6 minutes ago, MJKT2014 said:

Yes it was open, it was the only way I managed to get an appointment. Agree it had issues and not easy. I understand we now have to wait for it to open again once they get the vaccine stocks available. A message to this effect came from my embassy today. No other choice.

 

I did try the Mo Prom app (to register at a local gov hospital in Bangkok) using Thai ID but never got an answer ever. If I was to try again I'd wait for Intervac to open again.

Thank you. The site had no issues and seemed a simple single page - there was just plainly no action possible every time i checked. Must have been open for 1 second between midnight and 0 o'clock.

The Mor Prom App had been taken offline a few weeks ago, but i read somewhere it is supposed to be used again starting tomorrow i believe. Rather than using Mor Prom i was wondering if it makes sense to go in person to the hospital where i am registered, but not sure this is worth the effort (and risk).