BangkokReady

Second wave was December. Third wave was April, and that's been going on until now. I guess we could technically say that if Omicron takes over now that it might be the forth wave, if numbers shoot up? Not sure how we jumped to the fifth wave.

Yet they are just now saying that people no longer need to test before arrival and if anyone tests positive on ATK they can just self-isolate and don't need to seek further testing. This suggests that while numbers may be up, with Omnicron they are less worried because it is milder. Sounds like the UK might have it right, finally. While Thailand mulls going into max lockdown mode to avoid what might be the best thing to happen yet, covid-wise. Got to keep pushing that "covid is a foreign virus" narrative. ????

How does that blame foreigners?

Do you get as angry about Thais not wearing masks and failing to follow anti-covid procedures, or do they, rather unsurprisingly, get an easy out provided by the bias in your mind?

It's much more the fault of Thailand's reputation of laws and rules being very much optional. Also probably helped by many Thais not wearing masks and being very lax about anti-covid procedures.

I wonder how it will work. Will they make the Thais wear masks as well, or will they fine foreign tourists right in front of Thais not wearing masks? Will be interesting to see how deranged the racism gets...

Why not? These people tell these people how to live, take their money and other donations, then they go and get drunk in secret when they aren't meant to. At the very least it could be classed as fraud, or even disturbing the peace.

They aren't monks so this is completely irrelevant. Not the using of them per se, if they are doing it purely for monk purposes it might be OK. If they do anything that goes against the rules of being a monk or the teachings that they are supposed to follow (which is quite likely), then of course that is a problem.

Saw a couple of monks looking at the latest smartphones in a mall the other day. I'm not sure how people can still be comfortable with the whole "monks live for free in return for doing monk stuff". I bet that's one thing they're not in a hurry to modernise.

The covid news in my newsfeed was pretty sparse this week. When the numbers were shooting up, it was all over the place, then suddenly it went very quiet. I wonder if maybe there are signs of improvement or of Omicron being milder, but MSM chose not to report it very much.

Probably best to go into full lockdown, close the borders, curfew, ban alcohol, etc., until covid is completely gone. I can't see any other way to approach the situation. /s

I would say a significant part of it is reinforcing the idea that the virus comes from outside and is brought in by foreigners, so that however the government handles covid, people feel that because it is a foreign virus brought in and spread by foreigners, the government cannot do much about it or it isn't their fault. Nationalism and xenophobia are extremely powerful tools for controlling and distracting a populace.

Absolutely. Spot the foreigner and masks up at once! ????

Don't they announce it around the time of the final date of application for the covid extension? So most people will have just got the two months when they announce the extension? So this month they should make an announcement near the end of January and most people will have extended until some time in March. I think.