Jumbo1968

15 minutes ago, taxin said:

Far too many posts referring to the ASQ program in Bangkok, this (if it actually goes ahead) will not be the same. By October the ASQ program will be no more.
 

The government are merely using Phuket as a gateway for allowing long stay visitors back in to the country. Think about it, if the government did a survey asking Bangkok residents if they were happy about allowing long term tourists into Bangkok, with all of them being allowed to roam within 1km of their hotels, how many would agree to this ? I Would say more than 90% would vote against it.
 

On the other hand do the same survey with Phuket residents, where the vast majority of the islands population rely on tourism to survive and you will get a different response, more than 90% would vote in favour. 

It hasn’t been confirmed that people can roam 1 kilometre from their hotel and I very much doubt they will be.

There are not enough hotels equipped to be ASQ Hotels and certainly not enough medical staff either in Phuket.

You could do a survey in Pattaya and I am 100% convinced they would welcome tourists back as it relies on tourism where as Bangkok doesn’t.

6 minutes ago, Orient Express said:

Probably ... but anyone booking anything with Thai Airways at the moment needs their head testing, quite frankly.

Probably repatriation flights, £700 a single form Heathrow if you could get a seat in Economy Clas but over £2400 Business Class.

56 minutes ago, leicesterguyuk said:

Ah, from the US the flights are a lot less to the Caribbean and a lot further to Thailand. I forgot you didn't have direct flights to Thailand for some bizarre reason. 

 

I was thinking about UK flights, 12 hours to Thailand or 10 hours to Mexico. 

 

As so many have said, standard tourists won't be interested but those who wish to stay for a long time probably will. After all, if the Caribbean all inclusive resorts are so much cheaper with superior amenities, then there must be some very good reasons why people choose Thailand over these places in normal times. As of course there are. 

I think some people choose Thailand because of the amount of young females avaible.

The Embassies currently can’t handle the repatriation flights of a few thousand how are they going to cope with 2 million applications ?

56 minutes ago, SVC Porter said:

Thai Airways are advertising seats in Oct and November.  I'd imagine they'll be costly. 

Most of the major airlines are showing flights for Oct. and November, they are trying to get people to book, The flights will be cancelled not unless they are repatriation flights.

1 minute ago, aussienam said:

If that was the case - freedom of movement throughout the resort, you would therefore be crossing paths with other guests who potentially arrive at different times.  If you were near the end of 14 days and came into contact with a new guest starting day 1, then you'd technically need to stay another 14 days.  

Unless they have one mass intake and no new arrivals until all guests there have finished up and left.  

That will not work, it only takes one person to be asymptomatic and it will spread like wildfire to the others in the group similar  to what happened in Care Homes in the U.K. 

12 minutes ago, aussienam said:

The same issue applies to those living in Bangkok whose home may be a stone's throw from the ASQ hotel they need to stay in.  ASQ facilities need to meet certain criteria to be certified as ASQ.  And in partnership with hospital and medical staff.  And all staff probably will need to be quarantined too before being allowed to leave. 

Hence why there is a huge backlog of those approved who still cannot get back, let alone those who haven't even been considered yet.  

At the pace the ASQ process has been going, it will be over a year before everyone needing to get back can.  

Unless there is a massive rethink of ASQ options.  Example - Home quarantine for expats with suitable isolated accommodation with paid security and local hospital staff to do testing would work.  Would employ thousands of jobless Thais and get economy back faster.  

The problem with ASQ Hotels and home quarantine would be linking them to hospitals, they must be limited number of staff who would be available to do the testing and laboratories to process the samples.

5 minutes ago, Bangkocker said:

"takes care of me' ?? Sounds like you are a geriatric - so you couldn't even if you wanted to :<)

Actually we are a similar age, admin I am reporting this op for his offensive comments.

In some respect I hope only a few hundred take up the latest ‘offer’, if thousands do none of the current restrictions will be removed.
I am currently stuck in the U.K. with my partner and son the cost (which is well beyond my means ) plus all the hassle Makes impossible to return.

3 minutes ago, Bangkocker said:

Oh dear  you don't understand. A red herring is something thrown into an argument to divert attention away from the topic at hand. PS stay off the roads in Thailand and you won't come to grief. And never go bare backed with anyone.

Like the Thai Government focussing all their people’s attention on Covid diverting their attention away from more important issues in Thailand.
I never drive on the roads in Thailand and have a partner of over 6 years so going bare back isn’t a problem.

15 minutes ago, Bangkocker said:

Maybe so -but never forget the thousands of graves that we dug in Italy not so long ago for a little virus. Stick to the subject and no red herrings please cobba.

No red herrings what ever that means, according to Thai Government figures if the figures are to be believed the chances if being killed or injured in an accident are significantly greater than contracting Covid19. 
 

7 minutes ago, Bangkocker said:

Well unless we have a vaccine soon it will come down to 'survival of the fittest'. Anyone willing to take the risk? And if you read about the Swedish model - It's been a total disaster.

I think more chance of being injured/killed in a road accident in Thailand and there is no vaccine for that.

4 minutes ago, Bangkocker said:

Sounds like BS. It's free in most countries. The country receiving tourists should bear the costs

It’s free for certain criteria in the U.K. but the result is send by SMS, if you requires a written report as required for a repatriation flight you have to to a Private Clinic, £150, believe I am stuck in the U.K. and have looked into it.
it certainly won’t be free in Thailand although possibly less expensive.

1 minute ago, Bangkocker said:

Oh look we are all tired of this Covid-19. Every country needs to do this.

1. Test everyone before they board a plane (if passing the test - go to 2)

2. Test everyone immediately when they land (pass test - go to 3  - else be given a high protection mask and gloves to wear when outside your room.

3. Test daily at a testing station - if all ok just be a regular tourist . If test fails high protection mask and gloves.

Of course this is very simplified and some goon will shoot holes through it. If so, you come up with an interim solution.

Who is going to pay for the tests, it’s £150 a test in the U.K. and the accuracy on the test depends who is doing it 

5 hours ago, Sean60 said:

no one will come.

take away the quarantine. make sure all incoming tourists have insurance. the Thai government dose not have to carry any cost.

control their movement and increase you hospital capacity.

You have to learn to live with covid-19 !!!

That should be your strategy. In any other case you have to wait for a effective vaccine.

 

I hope some one from TAT and the government read your sensible/practical post, it’s the way forward.

7 hours ago, James HKT said:

Locked up in a room ? 
 

No. 
 

Staying in a 5 star beach front hotel, free to use all facilities in the hotel and access to a section of beach/sea. 
 

Sounds terrible!

Not every one has the funds to pay for a 5 star hotel plus if the current cost of repatriation flights is anything to go by there won’t be many takers.

1 hour ago, pantsonfire said:

If this passes with flights available, it will suit people who wish to see their loved ones.  There are plenty who are willing to spend this amount of time plus the costs that they can see their loved ones.  

This is for me, as i can spend two weeks in quarantine and then ask my partner to visit for the final week.  However, that final week is very confusing and why?  Its just more of an excuse to get more Tourism within Phuket.  There has been people who state its for the chinese, but why would they come for 2 weeks quarantine?  As the article defined, its for long term tourists

If you have a partner why are you not applying now ?

54 minutes ago, leicesterguyuk said:

I read elsewhere that the Phuket plan would be initially based on charter flights rather than general commercial scheduled flights. So presumably that would mean organising them through the already overloaded embassies around the world. Direct flights to Phuket or via Bangkok, who knows. 

 

Even with the 14 day hotel quarantine, further 7 days on the island, numerous virus tests and all of the associated costs, plus whatever else will be required re. certificates and visas, I still anticipate demand for this program to outdo supply. Of course not by general tourists but by long stay visitors. And that's who the authorities in Thailand are targeting - there are tens of thousands of them and they know that. 

 

It's worth remembering that since Thai Elite visa holders were added to the list of people allowed entry, new applications soared, around 2,500 in a month I read. And that's still with a mandatory 14 day quarantine in Bangkok and various other requirements, PLUS a minimum of 500,000 baht for the visa. The Phuket plan will be very similar, minus the elite visa fee so it's going to fly off the shelf, if it materialises. 

I wish I had your optimism ‘going to fly of the shelf’ maybe for property owners stuck abroad it might be. Tourism was in decline if you remove the Chinese numbers from it, who is going to pay $10000 before even beginning a holiday.

48 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

That raises the question of why would anyone give the government an address and then chose to not stay there or ignore the regulations that they agreed to?

 

Maybe there was a rave they needed to attend?

If they give a false address the government would never know ?

maybe they would want to attend a rave, loads in Birmingham alone,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-53797481

9 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

If you filled in the online .gov form giving details of where you were staying, how can you possibly state with any degree of certainty that the current UK government did NOT already check and verify that you were being a good boy?

 

Unless you want to claim here that you flaunted the rules of course.

Unless they physically check the address they would have no idea you were self isolating.

The only people who would self isolate are people in employment, their employers and colleagues would be aware they had been abroad. Of course nothing to stop them going shopping etc .

It’s difficult to see how it’s going to work, Thailand limit arrivals to BKK to 500 a day, from the U.K. flights are with Thai Air at around £700 a single.

i think the Thai Government are ‘testing the ‘ water to see what the uptake will be, I doubt that from the U.K. not many as you still have to ‘jump through hoops’.

i am stuck here in the U.K. with my Thai partner and son and the cost of all us returning is prohibitive more so the fact we live 400 kilometres from London.

3 minutes ago, vinny41 said:

It would appear according to this report published 2 days ago that there are regional and local lockdowns across the whole of Europe , in addition most European countries are advising  non-essential travel to a number of countries in Europe, When a Goverment issues this type of warning it normally means that your travel insurance is null and void if you choose to travel and ignore the Goverment advice given.

https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-53640249

Thailand is currently on the exemption list of non essential travel so Travel Insurance would currently be available.

8 minutes ago, nev said:

 

Well those that have been given positions that they are not qualified for have no real idea how to manage their portfolios, The health minister for example has gone quiet instead of being on top of this situation and updating the public each day about his current plans.

He might have the title of Health Minister but I am sure some else will be ‘writing’ his speeches,