Senior Player

22 minutes ago, itsari said:

Omicron finished the pandemic ?

There are still much to be wary of . New wave developing in the country of  origin for Omicron 

Please don't make rash statements.

Nope. This "new wave developing in the country of origin" is the same highly transmissible Omicron variant that's barely caused a ripple elsewhere in the world and is currently on the wane. So I don't believe @smedly's statement was that rash.

13 hours ago, Stargeezr said:

For the posters who think that COVID is over, take an enjoyable trip to China, and see what a real lock down feels like. 

Why would anyone take an "enjoyable trip" to China—sounds like an oxymoron? Their Zero-Covid policy is not reaping any benefits or rewards apart from crashing their own economy. No thank you. The same reason I'm not booking a flight to Thailand right now is the same reason I'm not hopping on a jet plane to China—both countries have yet to learn to live with Covid.

And yes, Covid (as in the recent Omicron strains that are currently ripping through China) is on the wane throughout the rest of the world. Of course, there will be more subvariants that come along, such as the new Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 from South Africa. And, since you asked, the medical experts believe that more than 90% of South Africans are estimated to have natural immunity against Covid which could limit the pressure on hospitals in the near future, so don't worry about South Africa. And that's the thing worth remembering, most countries now have a robust protection against this severe disease, apart from the ones that went for Zero-Covid (or so it would seem). Just ask Xi Jinping.

Though, I DO endorse your belief (or hope) that the Thai Pass will be got-rid-of by September or October. Let's hope common sense finally prevails.

As many of you have already pointed out, there's the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants from South Africa that can supposedly evade immunity and cause symptoms in people who were infected with their parent strain just months ago. Yes, I do believe that Thailand might have broken the back of this current Omicron wave. However, there will be more subvariants coming along that will test Thailand's resolve. I just hope the country learns to live with the virus like many other countries are doing right now.

Of course, South Africa now has the first of the new subvariants, having skipped the Omicron BA.2 wave — though the new subvariants (BA.4 and BA.5) are unlikely to do much more than create a new wave (or ripple) of mostly sniffles. 

Also, I cannot for the life of me understand the furore that has arisen from some of you claiming England has had a recent spike in deaths from the BA.2 strain. Deaths in England never breached 250 a day in April, similar to levels seen in bad flu seasons. I should also point out that hospital admissions peaked at just over 2,000 — half of the peak in January 2021 — and more than half were likely admitted for a different illness and tested positive incidentally. And again, hospital admissions have dropped for the 22nd day in a row here in the UK. So let's put things into perspective, people.

4 hours ago, Pmbkk said:

 

That's not just sterling - it's Boris...????

I'm not one to stick up for Doris, but it's down to the botched decision-making by the Bank of England for not raising interest rates, allowing inflation to run rampant at 7 per cent – more than triple the target set by the Government. Anyway, looks like the BoE will be raising the base rate anytime soon, but will it be enough? Probably not.

Must admit, this is the first I've heard about any annual migration of expats leaving Thailand and returning home to enjoy their own summers. Considering that summer hasn't even peaked its head above the parapet here in Europe, why would there even be any kind of exodus yet? Possibly next month, but early May?! 

Sorry, I don't buy this. I think it's more face-saving PR from Thai immigration. 

The WHO also praised China's Covid response. Now let me see, how is China’s Zero-Covid policy going there right now?

Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn obviously doesn't talk to the PM, as the Thai government has said it has NOT cancelled the Thailand Pass registration requirement for foreign travellers yet, but it will be made more conve­nient and quicker to obtain. Well, I'm just going to have to take their word for it because I'm still not booking a flight to Thailand until they totally drop all this red tape and learn to live with Covid like many Western countries currently do.

Tourism professionals say Thailand's complicated entry rules are now holding back recovery in an industry that contributed 12% of GDP before the pandemic. Forward bookings for 2022 show Thailand "reaching" 25% of pre-pandemic levels. If the Thai government is happy with roughly 25% of pre-pandemic tourism then they can stick to their present course, but they can do so without the other 75% visiting Thailand.

As I posted elsewhere, shifting your vaccination status to the TM6 form is still NOT living with Covid. Until the entire bureaucratic system is scrapped and the country adopts the UK approach, which is all travellers are treated equally with or without these vax shots, I won't be booking a flight there. 

Scrapping the Thailand Pass is a step in the right direction. However, transferring it to the TM6 immigration form is still not the answer if you want to boost tourism. Travelling to the UK you do not need to complete a UK passenger locator form before you travel, take any COVID-19 tests or quarantine when you arrive in England. This applies whether you're vaccinated or not, which is just as it should be. When Thailand scraps all its bureaucratic COVID-19 rules, I'll consider booking a flight.

Just now, DrJack54 said:

You wouldn't have an issue. First visit was a one year visa.

 

Perhaps if you were doing back to back visa exempt entries via air you may have had issues. 

 

True. I'd also flown back to England before my first year was fully up and re-entered to get an additional 11 or 12 months on the first visa, something you were allowed to do. It was on my next visit after this that I just went for a bog standard visa exempt. But you're right, I've never done back-to-back visa exempts. Well, not since 2011, and I didn't have a problem even then.

One thing I've noticed, and there's no exact science to it, but I think certain people are just pulled up and made an example of, especially in front of long queues.

On 4/11/2022 at 11:39 PM, Mac Mickmanus said:

Tourist visas and Visa exempts are meant for tourists .

People who have been in Thailand for many years are not tourists and that's why they were questioned  .

  People just need to get the correct visa for the purpose of their visit 

Surely it doesn't matter what your previous visa history is when entering Thailand, as personal circumstances can often change. For instance, I came in on a 1-year visa once, but then the next time I visited I just went for a normal 30-day exempt which I was perfectly entitled to do. The only thing the immigration officer said to me upon arrival was: "Only staying for 30-days this time, not a whole year?" My reply was "not this time" or words to that effect. He simply smiled, quickly stamped my passport and I was waived through.

On 4/15/2022 at 12:15 PM, freedomnow said:

Reading in another thread the removal would realistically be

May 15th onwards.....hope it is just the 1st.

 

The last time I read anything about dropping all restrictions it was to be done on 1st of July. This was on the proviso that the virus became endemic and meets the approval from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Are you saying the Thai authorities have brought the date forward from July 1st since this previous announcement?

On 3/20/2022 at 9:02 PM, webfact said:

The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and Thai Chamber of Commerce have both stated the changes are not enough to encourage wider foreign tourism and travel.

And they're both correct. Just in case anyone from TAT is reading this, I won't be booking a flight to Thailand until ALL restrictions are lifted. And just to make sure that the Thai government doesn't do another U-turn, I will be leaving it for a couple of months after their so-called 1st of July Victory-Day with the proviso of it being "dependent on incoming infection rates and approval from the World Health Organisation (WHO)". Not sure why Thailand has to wait for the WHO giving them the green light, but there you go. With a good wind at my back, I might even be sunning myself in Thailand by early September at this rate.

What's the vaxx status for entering Thailand right now from the UK? There doesn't appear to be any info on their Thai embassy website for how many jabs are needed to avoid a longer quarantine. Is it 2 dose or is it 3 (the so-called booster)?

8 hours ago, Stargeezr said:

I agree with you superal, that All international flights with all airlines 

should only allow people who have at least 2 COVID19 vaccinations.

I don't know whether you're aware but there's now a nasal spray available that's passed its Phase 3 clinical trials called the SaNOtize Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray designed to kill the Covid-19 virus in the upper airways, preventing it from incubating and spreading to the lungs. I honestly no longer see the need for this constant barraging of the unvaxxed when a few squirts up the hooter will be the future. It's also just been approved in India, Israel, Bahrain, Indonesia & Thailand.

A very illuminating read. Provides further grist for the mill as to why I won't be booking a flight to Thailand any time soon. 

9 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

Actually for many people (depending on type of computer and what software they already have) it will  require researching the process and downloading and installing new software. PDF to jpeg/jpg is not something one needs to do often.

 

4-5 documents involved (depending on how the vaccine record is set up).  Insurance certificates and hotel confirmation come in pdf. It is hardly user friendly to set up a system that won't accept the format these documents typically come in.

I agree, it can be a total headache if you've never had to do it before. Fortunately, I've had some experience with the Thai electronic visa application system with these types of files. However, there are free converters available online that allow you to upload your PDF which converts the document to a JPG format and then downloads it to your PC, or phone, or whatever device you use. There is no real need to purchase software and install it as it can be done totally for free via a website.

Here is such a free online PDF converter to JPG site...

https://pdf2jpg.net/

There's plenty more, but that was the first one I happened across. You just need to make sure your settings for the file size come within the Thailand Pass upload parameters before you upload the final converted JPG file from your PC to the Thailand Pass site.

I hope that helps.

On 10/16/2021 at 5:15 PM, natway09 said:

UK 40,000 daily infections, NZ 70 & not on the list ?

If you're doubled jabbed and pass the required PCR tests, then it doesn't matter what your home country daily infections are. But don't fret, you can have my place, because I'm not flying to LOS, despite being doubled jabbed. Not until these hurdles are totally removed.