Letseng

12 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

What a sad state of affairs denying help to those in need.

Go on a cruise on 7 March was careless. Why should their government = taxpayer help?

11 hours ago, Iron Tongue said:

Pfft!  Some people try and prepare while others are ready to lay down and die.  Guess you have decided.

 

You'll die faster if you don't have high end insurance that'll pay for a private hospital.  If not, a public ward is where you'll end up amongst the thousands of others left to die.

 

Look at Germany vs Italy.  The Germans have premier medical care and their # deaths are remarkably low.  (And have you seen how fat the elderly are?)

In Italy, with poor to bad medical care, their rate of deaths have been 4%+.  Even though the Italian health & diet is better than the Germans.

Do you believe German figures?

Top class medical care in Germany is for patients with PRIVATE insurance. Not for the average Joe on compulsory insurance. Stop dreaming. 

Btw, Northern Italy has top class healthcare. Way better than most German hospitals.

11 hours ago, leeneeds said:

Feel bad for the coming tide for the country, social distancing is not practised, only the solider has gloves and mask on in the photo, so the true understanding has not   been fully grasped by the masses at least not by this photo,

the panic will come.

 

People can't afford masks. Only the well-off can. They should impound the bank accounts of Zuma, Malema et al to help the people. 

On 3/27/2020 at 5:34 AM, Geeyore said:

I have a variety. The paper surgical masks are a little too suffocating for me while walking around. N95 I'm saving for a serious use (e.g. I have to get on an airplane). Taking a cue from Thais, I'm currently using a cloth mask and these are now widely available. 

 

My thinking is that paper surgical masks are good if (a) you can find them or (b) you work in a hospital or similar. N95 seems overkill for a walk to 7-11, but if you have plenty of them, fine. The cloth masks seem suitable for our situation although I recognize the shortcomings.

 

There's no certainty with any of this so the combination of (any) mask, social distancing, wash hands, sanitizers, and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING IN PUBLIC are my approach.  

 

I just have to add that what I'm seeing and hearing of tourists here (e.g. Phuket beach parties, Sukhumvit pedestrians) and reports from my own country are shocking. No masks of any kind whatsoever. Wow wow wow.

Cloth masks need to be washed hot 60C  daily. Make sure material is cotton.

3 hours ago, Caldera said:

Well done!

 

My takeaway is that the UK's embassy in Cambodia is just as useless as the one in Bangkok.

Bangkok did better.

11 hours ago, BritManToo said:

It really should have been the responsibility of the airlines, tour companies, and Insurance companies to stop people flying and refund their holiday payment. If the people had cancelled on their own, there would have been no refunds or insurance payouts.

Airlines did send out notices regarding refunds, vouchers, re-scheduling. Many tourists just waited for a nanny to help. Nanny UK gov. didn't come. What a surprise. 

How do I read an article behind a pay wall?

7 hours ago, natway09 said:

I think your travel insurance should cover it IF the policy is still current by then.

Sounds like you have not much option but to stay put.

Good Luck

Your travel insurance will cover if there is no warning not to travel to Thailand and of course it had to be taken out prior to your travel. At least this is what my travel insc. says.

21 hours ago, DrTuner said:

Let's see if the next move is to purge the foreigners already in the country. Nothing to do with the virus but such a sweet opportunity. Got your Plan B/C/D ready?

There are many countries in Europe which booted tourists/non-residents out within a few days.  

9 hours ago, GordyS said:

Why is he and the UK not putting pressure on the Thai govt regarding making people stand in queues for visas in BKK

They are risking their lives to do so!

They could have left in time. Nobody can say they couldn't see it coming.

1 hour ago, Millian said:

They are testing, but it's prioritised for people with symptoms or at very high risk of having been infected.

 

I've been for a test myself at Chulalongkorn hospital, as I live with someone that has been tested positive and is in hospital at the moment.

 

There is a long wait, I got there before 7am on Monday, had number 46 and left at 3pm.

 

They prioritise the people by symptoms and non symptoms. If you don't have symptoms, you get a chest x-ray and if that is clear they do not do the swab test for covid19.

 

If you have symptoms, or like myself have been in very close contact with a confirmed case, they will also do the covid test. This is after a consultation with a Dr who asses your x-ray, symptoms/risk of infection and decides if you warrant a test.

 

The swab test is around the back of the mouth and right up the nose, which really stings!

 

I got my results approx 24hrs later, which were negative.

 

And is everybody queueing up in the same area?

On 3/24/2020 at 1:45 PM, smedly said:

more younger people are active - next time you are out and about in Bangkok do a quick survey of young versus old you see as you move around - might surprise you 

Problem will come when kids pass the virus to grandparents. Kids have no symptoms. This is why so many old ppl are infected in Italy. Schools closed down early, kids were parked with grandma. Bingo.

In Austria the highest no. Is also in the younger age groups.

Infections spread in ski resorts.

More men than women.

On 3/24/2020 at 12:17 PM, jimmiejackson said:

From what our staff has been told by the SSF, there is a salary cap 15,000 Baht per month, meaning max payout is 7,500 Baht per month.

A lot better than nothing at all.

On 3/24/2020 at 12:52 PM, saengd said:

High heat and high humidity slows the spread, it doesn't kill off the virus.

Live in hope. It certainly spreads quickly despite the heat. Keep an eye on nos. and watch it doubling.

On 3/24/2020 at 10:12 AM, anchadian said:

Masks are useless unless you have symptoms yourself or someone is sneezing or coughing close to you.

 

The coronavirus doesn't fly around in the air.

 

Wear disposable gloves is always a better protection.

 

Just my thoughts.

If everybody wears a mask we will all be better protected. 

In Europe they tell you not to wear one. I'm sure reason for this is because they haven't got any. Since a supply arrived from China in Italy, now Italians are being given masks to wear. Even if the mask is "useless" it will stop you from touching your face.

3 hours ago, twocatsmac said:

The Chinese will be the first tourists welcomed back when the virus subsides. 

I guess the Chinese will be the ones who will provide assistance and materials. Know-it-all Europeans can't help. They go begging for masks and ventilators from China. 

7 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Get them some face masks for starters !!

These surgical masks everybody wears don't protect you. Once they are damp (happens quickly), they are porous. Get N95 or FFP3 masks. 

19 hours ago, Admiral Hornblower said:

More urgently needed are face masks!! Here in Hua Hin, can't find any and when I asked for children's face masks they just looked at me as if I was daft. So stop telling us to wear masks when we can't buy them!!!

In Europe they tell you that face masks are no protection unless it is FFP2 or 3 standard.

Ordinary surgical masks are protection others against you provided you don't wear your mask no longer than 2 hrs.

Once the mask is damp, it gets porous.

9 hours ago, Brigand said:

As I've mentioned before, yes, sounds sensible but it's all very well for these well-off types to just sweepingly say this and then drive home in their Mercedes to their mansion/bunker and just swan around in luxury with a shed load of food/supplies. What about the people you put out of a job? What will they do? What about people who rely on taking things to the market to sell everyday? What about all the SMEs that will collapse so very fast that families rely on? What about even the guy selling ice cream from a motorbike? It's just not as simple as some rich simpletons think.

Make those "rich simpletons" pay a part salary may be?

9 hours ago, JimG said:

So, closing hotels is, you think, the way to go.  Well, there are other hotels for those that need a place to sleep.  The folks that you put out of work by closing just will have to find some other way to make money to feed their kids.  You object to them leaving town to live with their up-country families.  Where are they to go?  How are they to live?  YOU DON'T CARE, do you?

Why keep an empty hotel open?  Drastic measures now will prevent a drawn out situation.

In Austria all hotels had 2 days to close, all tourists had to leave the country. Yes, there are a lot of temporarily unemployed people (115.000). At least it stopped infections travelling further. Our borders are closed, whole areas are under quarantine. Life will restart at some point. Ppl here show solidarity and help each other out. 

One infected person will infect another 3. Do your math and you will see the nos. going up within a day. 

12 hours ago, Ian Nagle said:

How old are they ?... the ones recovering. 

Provide  serious valuable info - not just bits and pieces soundbites. Poor journalism reporting to say the least!

What does it matter how old they were. Depending on their health they make it through or they don't. In Italy a 95 yr old lady recovered. Some die at 28 or 48.

What a load of bulldust. Problem in Italy is the social structure (2nd oldest population), too many non-symptomatic young ones live with older family members, social distancing wasn't taken too serious either. A month ago they still had a soccer match with 44thou spectators in Milan. What do ppl expect would happen. Everywhere they close the barn after the horse bolted. Same in Thailand.

With the public statement of this above medic Italians wont be too popular now. 

12 hours ago, Airalee said:

What about that inexpensive antimalerial I’ve been reading about....hydroxychloroquine.  Or is that not profitable enough for big pharma?  

Nobody knows how effective it is. Plus you need a high dose which is not so healthy either.

Chinese tested but result is inconclusive.

On 3/22/2020 at 9:31 AM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Somehow the above list missed Central Chidlom, where the department and related stores are closed, but the Central Food Hall (supermarket and takeout food only) on the ground floor remains open (though you have to access it from the rear entrance because the normal Skywalk entrance from the Chidlom BTS station into the department store there is also closed. I was there today so can confirm from firsthand experience.

You can get in from Soi Chidlom or from Soi Somkid.

"Keeping Distance saves Lives"

Thailand should adopt this slogan. Whatever picture I see tells me they are doing the opposite. Tourists are no better.